Our Correspondent
Diphu, Sep. 28 (EMN): Various social organisations of the Dimasa community in Karbi Anglong have criticised the film ‘Semkhor’ for incorrect depiction of the social customs and practices of the tribe. The film is cast and directed by Aimee Baruah.
The film was released on September 23 and is the first film in the Dimasa language screened as the first opening feature film of the Indian panorama in 2021.
It depicts the life of a woman and the village Semkhor, which is located in Maibang in the Dima Hasao district.
In a press conference held at Dimasa Club, Diphu here on Wednesday, the secretary, Dimasa Sahitya Sabha, Karbi Anglong Zila Committee, Satya Brat Kemprai said, “We don’t blame Aimee Baruah, an Assam lady who has tried to work for the uplift of the culture and tradition of Dimasa community. We are very much happy that a film like Semkhor has received an award depicting the backwardness of Semkhor. But after viewing the film I came to know that there are some parts in the film which are against our social customs and practices.”
Kemprai said, “The information in the film has wrongly depicted the social practice of the Dimasa tribe. It should be deleted and the screening of the film should be banned. Those collecting the information have not taken the correct and proper information before putting it in the film.”
He also said that if the film is allowed to be screened then the customary law and practices of the Dimasa will be wrongly shown to others. The practice of a baby being burned, when the mother dies, is not practiced in Dimasa society, he said.
The Dimasa Mothers’ Association and Jadikhe Naiso Hosom, the apex body of Dimasas, have condemned it for depicting wrong information about the community. It is totally against the culture and traditions of the Dimasa, Kemprai said.
The film has received three awards this year -- a special jury award and the best feature film in Dimasa in the 68th National Film Awards and a special audience award in the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival Award. In 2021, the film also received the best feature film in the Kautik International Film Festival and the best actress in the Toronto International Women Film Festival.