Daniel Sagolsem
In an industry replete with old-school directors refusing to embrace change and evolution, young Manipuri film director and actor Priyakanta Laishram is a rare creature. He is one such Manipuri film director, actor, writer, and film producer who has mastered the art of utilizing the cinematic medium to uncover social ills and malpractices.
Publicly humiliated, trolled, and threatened for constantly bringing out untouched subjects which are considered either shameful or taboo into the limelight, the openly queer Manipuri filmmaker-actor is also the man behind Manipur’s first-ever gay-themed movie, Oneness (2023), which is based on the tragic real-life story of a gay youth. He plans to throw light on the plight of gay individuals in conservative societies with the film.
Having helmed several socially relevant projects, his films offer often radical explorations of sexual orientation and gender identity. The multiple award-winning filmmaker/actor created waves in the Manipuri film industry right from his films, It’s Not My Choice (2015), Who Said Boys Can’t Wear MakeUp (2018), and The Foul Truth – Amakpa Achumba (2019), which dealt with either untouched or socially uncomfortable topics like Transgender Issues, Gender Neutrality and Male Rape. Since then, his choice of movies has always been that of a social take on the problems and issues faced by marginalized communities and ordinary people.
Priyakanta Laishram started making films at the age of 9 (2006-2007) with a mobile phone. At the age of 11 (2009), he made three children’s films, Lammuknarure, Achumbadi Amarni, and Chan-Thoibi. The former two were shot on a mobile phone Nokia N70 while the latter was shot on a Sony Cyber-shot camera. He was awarded Youngest Filmmaker 2009 by Nokia, Manipur’s Rising Star by Asian News International, and Youth Icon 2009 by Mongba Hanba Magazine.
Today, he is known for his resilient and unconventional film choices with several national and international level film awards. Breaking into the world of filmmaking is never an easy prospect. And especially, when you are a queer filmmaker who wants to focus on LGBTQ subjects and lives in a conservative society, the bar to success is set pretty high.
“For the queer community to get the representation we desperately need, we as a society need to correct past missteps in the representation and continue to fight for more nuanced and authentic queer experiences to be presented,” Priyakanta Laishram noted.
Priyakanta Laishram’s career proves that with grit, and determination, it is possible to create your path. He is the first Manipuri who defied the odds to attempt the representation of homosexuals in mainstream cinema. With his work, he tries to give people a compassionate understanding of marginalized communities. He believes cinema is much more powerful to create awareness than any other classroom and can help in normalizing the LGBTQIA+ community.
Laishram, whose films have been screened at many international and national film festivals, is also open to broadening his scope beyond a focus on queer storylines as he had done with films like I am Special (2017), a docu-fiction film on six differently-abled persons and Spaced Out – Panthung Di Kadaaida! (2021), a film on teen drug abuse.
Priyakanta Laishram has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media with a specialization in Advertising from Mumbai University. He also has a degree in Sociology with Honors from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Currently, he is pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication at Amity University, Noida.