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Ishanou
Ishanou (English: The Chosen One) is a 1990 Indian Manipuri film written by M. K. Binodini Devi and directed by Aribam Syam Sharma. The movie stars Anoubam Kiranmala and Kangabam Tomba in the lead roles. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, it was recognised as a "World Classic" by the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and it was the only film selected from India for the event for that year. The movie was first aired in Doordarshan and later released in Usha Cinema, Paona Bazar on 6 July 1990.
Ishanou was screened at many film festivals, including Singapore International Film Festival, London Film Festival, Des 3 Continents, Festival of Festivals Toronto, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Fribourg International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and International Film Festival of India. Ishanou was restored by Film Heritage Foundation and the restored film was selected for a red-carpet world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.
Tampha, a gorgeous young woman with a loving husband and a small daughter, lives a peaceful life in the Manipur valley, preoccupied with banal matters like preparing for her daughter's ear-piercing ceremony or discussing the purchase of a used scooter with her husband. Suddenly, she begins to act strangely, talking to flowers, having dizzy spells, and wandering out of the house in the middle of the night. The family goes from pillar to post in search of a treatment for the strange illness. Finally, they realise she is not suffering from a common illness, but rather is responding to the inexorable call of the deity.
Ishanou by Aribam Syam Sharma is a moving story of love and grief immersed in Manipuri culture. The video beautifully contrasts the spiritual world of the Maibis with the rhythm of everyday life, emphasising the coexistence of the occult and the tangible in the same reality. To the mesmerising sounds of the Pena (traditional string instrument), the bamboo flute, and incantation hymns, the drama unfolds. The director's straightforward approach, delicate camerawork, and understated acting, combined with the vivid depiction of Maibi culture and the use of Manipur's traditional music in the film's score, lend the film an authenticity that blends storytelling, documentary, and ethnography.
He claims that music was his first love. Aribam Syam Sharma, a singer, songwriter, actor, and theatrical director, studied philosophy, music, and drama before venturing into the field of movies. The film "Ishanou" (The Chosen One) is a palimpsest of this outstanding filmmaker's various talents, as well as another treasure that arose from the filmmaker's close collaboration with the famed Manipuri writer M.K. Binodini Devi, who penned the screenplay for the film.
Their shared interest in telling a story based on the life of the Maibi sect, Binodini Devi's observations and stories shared with her by Maibis, and Aribam Syam Sharma's documentary on Lai-Haraoba, an annual ritual festival celebrated by the Meitei community to appease the gods through songs, dance, and rituals performed by the Maibi, all contributed to the creation of the film.
Derek Malcolm, in 1991, wrote about the film on The Guardian, "Perhaps the best film in the panorama, largely because it tells a good story with great honesty and lack of guile, came from the State of Manipur, where two or three directors have worked against all odds for a decade or more". Former director of Sydney Film Festival and Film Critic David Stratton also wrote in the Variety published from New York on 11 April 1991, "One of the best Indian films of the past year, The Chosen One looks though it’ll make its way on the international film circuit. Specialized art house release also is possible".
Ishanou won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Manipuri and Special Mention (Anoubam Kiranmala) at the 38th National Film Awards. The citation for the National Award reads, "For effectively portraying the tragedy behind the institution of Maibi which unfortunately shatters a family". Special Mention's citation reads, "For a debut performance depicting various levels of conflict effectively".
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Ishanou
Ishanou (English: The Chosen One) is a 1990 Indian Manipuri film written by M. K. Binodini Devi and directed by Aribam Syam Sharma. The movie stars Anoubam Kiranmala and Kangabam Tomba in the lead roles. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, it was recognised as a "World Classic" by the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and it was the only film selected from India for the event for that year. The movie was first aired in Doordarshan and later released in Usha Cinema, Paona Bazar on 6 July 1990.
Ishanou was screened at many film festivals, including Singapore International Film Festival, London Film Festival, Des 3 Continents, Festival of Festivals Toronto, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Fribourg International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and International Film Festival of India. Ishanou was restored by Film Heritage Foundation and the restored film was selected for a red-carpet world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.
Tampha, a gorgeous young woman with a loving husband and a small daughter, lives a peaceful life in the Manipur valley, preoccupied with banal matters like preparing for her daughter's ear-piercing ceremony or discussing the purchase of a used scooter with her husband. Suddenly, she begins to act strangely, talking to flowers, having dizzy spells, and wandering out of the house in the middle of the night. The family goes from pillar to post in search of a treatment for the strange illness. Finally, they realise she is not suffering from a common illness, but rather is responding to the inexorable call of the deity.
Ishanou by Aribam Syam Sharma is a moving story of love and grief immersed in Manipuri culture. The video beautifully contrasts the spiritual world of the Maibis with the rhythm of everyday life, emphasising the coexistence of the occult and the tangible in the same reality. To the mesmerising sounds of the Pena (traditional string instrument), the bamboo flute, and incantation hymns, the drama unfolds. The director's straightforward approach, delicate camerawork, and understated acting, combined with the vivid depiction of Maibi culture and the use of Manipur's traditional music in the film's score, lend the film an authenticity that blends storytelling, documentary, and ethnography.
He claims that music was his first love. Aribam Syam Sharma, a singer, songwriter, actor, and theatrical director, studied philosophy, music, and drama before venturing into the field of movies. The film "Ishanou" (The Chosen One) is a palimpsest of this outstanding filmmaker's various talents, as well as another treasure that arose from the filmmaker's close collaboration with the famed Manipuri writer M.K. Binodini Devi, who penned the screenplay for the film.
Their shared interest in telling a story based on the life of the Maibi sect, Binodini Devi's observations and stories shared with her by Maibis, and Aribam Syam Sharma's documentary on Lai-Haraoba, an annual ritual festival celebrated by the Meitei community to appease the gods through songs, dance, and rituals performed by the Maibi, all contributed to the creation of the film.
Derek Malcolm, in 1991, wrote about the film on The Guardian, "Perhaps the best film in the panorama, largely because it tells a good story with great honesty and lack of guile, came from the State of Manipur, where two or three directors have worked against all odds for a decade or more". Former director of Sydney Film Festival and Film Critic David Stratton also wrote in the Variety published from New York on 11 April 1991, "One of the best Indian films of the past year, The Chosen One looks though it’ll make its way on the international film circuit. Specialized art house release also is possible".
Ishanou won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Manipuri and Special Mention (Anoubam Kiranmala) at the 38th National Film Awards. The citation for the National Award reads, "For effectively portraying the tragedy behind the institution of Maibi which unfortunately shatters a family". Special Mention's citation reads, "For a debut performance depicting various levels of conflict effectively".