At a time when aggressive masculinist notions of heroism rule mainstream Indian cinema, Rima Das' choice of title for her latest film, Not A Hero, is a statement. Das, a leading light on the country's indie circuit, just received a Crystal Bear Special Mention for this new venture at the Berlin International Film Festival. Premieres and wins on prestigious platforms have become second nature for this remarkable Assamese filmmaker since her feature debut a decade back.
As with all Das' best-known works, Not A Hero's protagonist is a child. Mivaan is a city-bred 11-year-old who is forced to shift temporarily to his ancestral village where he must live with his father's estranged sister. In Das' trademark style, this high drama rolls out on screen in an undramatised fashion, complemented by Aditya Varma's exquisite cinematography, and Pallab Talukdar's soothing music.
Expectedly, the initial friction between Mivaan and his aunt Pahi gives way to acceptance, and his boredom with the village turns into involvement. The bursts of energy in this otherwise meditational narrative bear Das' signature, which is heavily influenced by Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy.
In these aspects of its scripting and direction, Not A Hero does not throw up surprises. Its contribution to coming-of-age stories featuring a young person's urban-to-rural sojourn lies in the almost activist-like solidarity among the children. The stand-out elements are an episode in which these incredible kids grasp the finer nuances of sexual abuse, and towards the end, an endearing life lesson on loving and letting go.
At first, Mivaan is buried in his cellphone, and we, as viewers, get to see and hear the beautiful Assamese countryside that he's missing. Slowly, he looks up, notices, absorbs. The warmth in school, alongside horrendous bullying by one boy and violence in the home of another, all draw him out incrementally, awakening him, among other things, to his socio-economic and familial privilege in contrast with his schoolmates' challenging circumstances.
Mivaan's evolving equation with these children, his friendship with a boy called Rio and a delicate beast, emerge as the film's dominant strand. The progression in his relationship with Pahi (played by a striking Sukanya Boruah) is not written with the same depth.
Minimalist writing works in some respects in Not A Hero. For instance, the film loses nothing by not detailing the financial compulsion that led to Mivaan being sent to the village (we don't need to know), or by not delving into the parents' gendered relationship (we get it). But Pahi's insubstantial characterisation and storyline, and the handling of Mivaan's friendship with a girl in school occasionally gives the film a flimsy feel.
Das is skilled in extracting stellar performances from children, as we know especially from the multiple award-winning 2017 film Village Rockstars and its 2024 sequel Village Rockstars 2. Not A Hero's children, led by Bhuman Bhargav Das as Mivaan, are delightful. Bhuman is the director's nephew. She has said that the film emerged from her observations of him in their village in Assam, a setting to which she has repeatedly returned in her filmography. He is adorable, but not distractingly so, in a role that has him balancing child-like innocence and extraordinary maturity.
At one point, when Rio (Mrinmoy Das) declares that city children are scared of everything, Mivaan replies, 'I'm not scared, I just know the danger.' Bhuman is that rare child who can pull off such a line, yet not come off as precocious.
Not A Hero is an India-Singapore co-production, blending Assamese with Hindi and English. Das is the film's Indian producer, in addition to its director, writer and editor. Multi-tasking is a hallmark of her oeuvre, and one reason why she is so prolific, despite independent cinema's many struggles in India.
Not A Hero does not have lofty ambitions. It's been made by a filmmaker who simply watched and listened to life going on before her camera, gathering sweetness and wisdom along the way.
As with all Das' best-known works, Not A Hero's protagonist is a child. Mivaan is a city-bred 11-year-old who is forced to shift temporarily to his ancestral village where he must live with his father's estranged sister. In Das' trademark style, this high drama rolls out on screen in an undramatised fashion, complemented by Aditya Varma's exquisite cinematography, and Pallab Talukdar's soothing music.
Expectedly, the initial friction between Mivaan and his aunt Pahi gives way to acceptance, and his boredom with the village turns into involvement. The bursts of energy in this otherwise meditational narrative bear Das' signature, which is heavily influenced by Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy.
In these aspects of its scripting and direction, Not A Hero does not throw up surprises. Its contribution to coming-of-age stories featuring a young person's urban-to-rural sojourn lies in the almost activist-like solidarity among the children. The stand-out elements are an episode in which these incredible kids grasp the finer nuances of sexual abuse, and towards the end, an endearing life lesson on loving and letting go.
At first, Mivaan is buried in his cellphone, and we, as viewers, get to see and hear the beautiful Assamese countryside that he's missing. Slowly, he looks up, notices, absorbs. The warmth in school, alongside horrendous bullying by one boy and violence in the home of another, all draw him out incrementally, awakening him, among other things, to his socio-economic and familial privilege in contrast with his schoolmates' challenging circumstances.
Mivaan's evolving equation with these children, his friendship with a boy called Rio and a delicate beast, emerge as the film's dominant strand. The progression in his relationship with Pahi (played by a striking Sukanya Boruah) is not written with the same depth.
Minimalist writing works in some respects in Not A Hero. For instance, the film loses nothing by not detailing the financial compulsion that led to Mivaan being sent to the village (we don't need to know), or by not delving into the parents' gendered relationship (we get it). But Pahi's insubstantial characterisation and storyline, and the handling of Mivaan's friendship with a girl in school occasionally gives the film a flimsy feel.
Das is skilled in extracting stellar performances from children, as we know especially from the multiple award-winning 2017 film Village Rockstars and its 2024 sequel Village Rockstars 2. Not A Hero's children, led by Bhuman Bhargav Das as Mivaan, are delightful. Bhuman is the director's nephew. She has said that the film emerged from her observations of him in their village in Assam, a setting to which she has repeatedly returned in her filmography. He is adorable, but not distractingly so, in a role that has him balancing child-like innocence and extraordinary maturity.
At one point, when Rio (Mrinmoy Das) declares that city children are scared of everything, Mivaan replies, 'I'm not scared, I just know the danger.' Bhuman is that rare child who can pull off such a line, yet not come off as precocious.
Not A Hero is an India-Singapore co-production, blending Assamese with Hindi and English. Das is the film's Indian producer, in addition to its director, writer and editor. Multi-tasking is a hallmark of her oeuvre, and one reason why she is so prolific, despite independent cinema's many struggles in India.
Not A Hero does not have lofty ambitions. It's been made by a filmmaker who simply watched and listened to life going on before her camera, gathering sweetness and wisdom along the way.
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Anna MM Vetticad