For the past few days, Assam has been re-discussing a special topic: ‘Gupta Hatya’. ‘Shadow Assassins’, a film based on the secret killings, popularly termed as ‘Gupta Hatya’- the darkest chapter of Assam in the late 90’s, has been made in Bollywood recently. Under the direction of National Award-winning filmmaker Nilaanjan Reeta Datta, ‘Shadow Assassins’ will be released in about three hundred cinema halls in India including Assam, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune. The film, which is based on the fictional story of a family devastated by the massacres in Assam in the late 1990s, has already been able to create a buzz and excitement among the media as well as the movie-buffs. The courageous effort of the makers to make a film at the national level about that dark chapter has become a cause of discussion among the intellectual circles of Assam already.
On the eve of its release, the bollywood stars who acted in the film as well as producers and the director addressed a press conference at the Town Club in Guwahati and urged the people of Assam to enjoy the film in the theatres only from December 9. Bollywood star and popular actress Mishti Chakraborty, attending the press conference, said that she is very proud to have acted in such a sensitive film. She also revealed that while shooting for the film, she got emotional by being fascinated by the charming atmosphere of Assam and anticipating those terrible days of the 90s. Mishti plays a pivotal role in ‘Shadow Assassins’. Moreover, popular Bollywood actor Anurag Sinha, who plays the lead role in the film, was also present at the press conference and said that many people outside Assam are still unaware of such horrible stories in the history of Assam. He is hopeful that through this film, the stories of that dark chapters of Assam will also be discussed in other states of India. Popular Bollywood actor Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, who is playing the role of an Assamese police officer in the movie, has also urged the people of Assam to watch this film during its stay in the cinema halls. Apart from this, actor Hemant Kher, who got a massive recognition through the web series ‘Scam 1992’ recently, is playing an important role in this film. Popular actor from Kolkata- Soumya Mukherjee, Singapore’s popular actor-announcer K.P. Sandhu, Kolkata’s popular music director Ashu Chakraborty along with several Bollywood and Assamese actors and actresses who acted in the film were also present at the press conference.
The film’s director Nilaanjan Reeta Datta said at the press conference that the film will not be available on any online platform very soon. Therefore, he appealed to the people of Assam to ensure that this film is watched by everyone in the cinema halls only. On the eve of its release, a special screening of the movie was held at Jyoti Chitraban in Guwahati on December 6, in the presence of many prominent personalities including the cast and crew of the film. The audience present at the exhibition watched the film and praised the makers for being successful in presenting such a sensitive subject very strongly.
It is to be noted that the film is based on the historical Rrd. Justice K. N. Saikia’s Commission’s report.
