Guwahati: Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap’s Assamese short film Mor Ghorar Duronto Goti –The Horse From Heaven has entered the race for Oscars 2022 in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Combining folklore (Oja pali) with an absurdist wit, the film shows the power of belief and how it can lead to religious fervor.
“It feels like a dream. Even though I don’t think an award can ever validate any piece of ‘art’ or ‘non-art’, the Oscar is still a dream I haven’t given up on since I first realised I wanted to be a filmmaker in Class 8,” said Maharshi.
The process of taking a donkey and upholding it to the standards of a divine being, to the point that others begin to attempt to “covet thy neighbour’s ass” feeds into the humorous nature of all interactions between Kuxhol (the protagonist) and those around him.
This alone gives the short film a giddy dose of visual stings as onlooking at the man’s absurd story turns from mockery into adoration.
The film starring renowned actor Atul Pachani in the leading role has recently won the top prize at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2022 in the Indian Competition Section.
Earlier, the film was screened at t Cineteca Nacional Museum in Mexico City and Kolkata International Film Festival.
Filmmaker Kashyap, who hails from Guwahati, has completed his post-graduate course in direction and screenplay writing from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata.
He has written scripts for two feature films Boroxun-Songs of Rain (2021) and Bulu Film (2022). He also has directed another short film- Poetry of Whispers (Kaan Phus Phusot Phus Phusoni) (2019) and a documentary Water Water Everywhere (2020).