“Highways of Life”, directed by Amar Maibam, wins Best Film Award (International competition) at the 8th Liberation DocFest, Bangladesh 2020
Biswadeep Gupta
While congratulating Amar, my dear friend over the phone for his award for the film ‘Highways of Life’ being adjudged Best Non-Feature Film at the 13th Manipur State Film Award, 2020, we spoke on his long journey in making the film. The film also bagged three more awards, Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Editing Award to Biju Das.
Amar narrates that Highway story was in his mind for years, in 2014 there was a documentary workshop in Imphal called Imphal Documentor which was organised by Television & Cine Foundation, Manipur State Film Development Society and Documentary Resource Initiative Kolkata and it was there the final concept and structure of the film were developed. The filming began in 2014 itself and carried on till 2018.
When I ventured into his past and asked him, Amar, what inspired you to make a film on ‘Truckers’, he echoed nostalgically, it’s the experience which I had on the highways for 10 years Biswadeep. I was a Bus conductor which inspired me to tell this story! Beautiful, I reciprocated and not able to resist to watch the film at the earliest!
It gives me immense pleasure to remember that I was stationed in Imphal when Amar was making this film, in fact, I attended and reported about the workshop he mentioned. One thing that I regret is, Amar once told me that he would like to accompany me in my drives down to Kohima and Jiribam road on those days, but it never happened. But I am so happy for Amar’s film and his success.
On the impact Amar thinks the film would create, he tells that ‘I hope and believe it will realise the struggle of ‘Truckers’ and what they encounter on the highways to serve the people’.
Amar went on to narrate the different challenges faced during his filming. He says, there are several incidents which we face during the filming…
Holding up on the highways for months because of bandh and blockades, break down of bridges, being beaten up and detained by underground and security forces while filming which has happened several times and forcibly deleted our footages…I know these kinds of things will happen because of the nature of this film and I don’t consider it as a big challenge. But on a few occasions, it shattered my heart when some of my initial (ex) protagonist unwillingness to work after filming months and years.
Stating one incident in particular that he was emotionally hurt, he said ‘ when we were filming on the highways 37 we were detained and defamed as imposter/fake journalist that incident came out in Imphal dallies as the headlines’.
I ask Amar, tell me some interesting aspect of the film you encountered while making the film. Amar narrates that when he was following the longest economic blockade on new district creation of Manipur. (excluding war zone) because he got the real feeling of Ciné vérité style.
Detailing about his team, Amar disclosed and said that 80 per cent of the filming is done solo because of the risk it involved but yes I went with additional crew whenever I think it’s required.
On his upcoming project Amar informed that ‘right now I am engaged with two Documentary projects which are now in the post-production stage, one is on an international weightlifter and her brother’s fight for justice, a human story and another a biopic on one of Manipur oldest artist Abok Pishak, she passed away recently.
On prevailing pandemic and how to manage particularly the filming careers, Amar suggested, it is up to us to take responsibility and to follow the WHO protocols and emerge from the crisis for a better future.
The film world has already affected by this pandemic, cinemas have closed, release dates have been postponed, film festivals have been cancelled and production has come to a halt and when it emerges from this crisis, it will be a completely different scenario. I think people will come more in independent filmmaking style with less crew and cast but it will definitely have impacted all of us including cine workers.
Highways of Life is a detailed look at the high octane lives of Manipur’s highway truckers. Being a landlocked Indian state, the two highway 2 & 37 connect Manipur to the rest of the world as its lifeline. Economic blockades, lightning general strikes, armed extortion, robbery, abduction and bad road conditions make these two highways a life-threatening terrain for the truckers. The film follows a group of truckers as they manoeuvre through the highways, putting their lives on the frontline, ferrying essential commodities to serve the people of Manipur in the two intense public movements played out on the highways.
Amar wants to dedicate the film to the Truckers community for their service to the nation on the risky highways.
He echoes, ‘my heartiest thanks to all the mentors who supported the film, all the characters who allowed to tell their stories, all the people on the highway who supported the film. And not the least my homemaker who supported this filmmaker to film without any tension.
‘Highways of Life’ is produced by Films Division Mumbai.
