Renowned cine artistes RK Somendro (Kaiku), Manda Leima, Leishangthem Tonthoi and Gurumayum Bony shared their challenges and experiences in the world of cinema during the evening session moderated by senior actor T Loken.
TFM Desk
The seventh day of the golden jubilee celebrations of Manipuri cinema on Saturday featured stars of Manipuri cinema descending on the stage of Palace Auditorium at Manipur State Film Development Society complex, Imphal.
In the morning session, a Cine Dialogue was conducted on “Some thoughts on Portrayal of Manipur in films and other creative arts” while in the evening session, the dialogue was on “Actors: Dreaming for Cinema”.
Renowned actors namely RK Somendro (Kaiku), Manda Leima, Leishangthem Tonthoi and Gurumayum Bony shared their challenges and experiences in the world of cinema during the evening session moderated by senior actor T Loken.
RK Kaiku, who has acted as the lead character in hundreds of films, maintained that even after receiving fame for his acting, he has to depend on other means of income to run his family as the artistes do not earn enough through films. “This is one main reason why artists are struggling to keep up with the exact shooting schedule,” he stated.
G Bony, who has come a long way to stardom from being a hawker among other odd jobs, also highlighted the financial struggle of the producers compelling the artists to be happy with whatever they are paid.
While stating that the life of an actor will change drastically after marriage, Manda Leima exhorted the younger artistes especially female actors to choose the right partner.
Leishangthem Tonthoi also recounted how she started out in the film world despite disapproval from her mother.
On the other hand, Arambam Lokendra and BC Khuman spoke as resource persons during the Cine Dialogue on “Some thoughts on portrayal of Manipur in films and other creative arts” in the morning moderated by Bobby Wahengbam.
BC Khuman said that highlighting Manipur’s cultural heritage and issues confronting the state are somewhat successful in documentaries. However, the same is falling behind when it comes to feature films, he opined.
He also stressed on the need to change the outlook of people towards cinema. Citing an example, he said that students feel guilty when they run into their teachers in a cinema hall. However, the same is not the case when the students and teachers met at a debate, he added.
Arambam Lokendra stated that the concept of Manipur itself, when one talks about the portrayal of Manipur, raises various questions.
He shared the various historical, social and cultural events that shaped the idea of Manipur.
The Zeliangrongs by Ronel Haobam, Songs of Mashangva by Oinam Doren and Crossing Bridges by Sange Dorjee in the North East Focus section were screened on Saturday. A special performance of contemporary dance by artistes of Nachom Arts Foundation was also showcased.