AGAINST THE ODDS

It’s been 50 years since the first Manipuri feature film Matamgi Manipur was released. Made with equipment, technicians and a director from Calcutta, it went on to win the President’s Silver Medal at the National Film Awards. The 1990s and the early 2000s were the zenith of Manipuri cinema, with the state producing about seven films a year, screened in 60 cinema halls.

The advent of VCRs and cable TV led to some problems in the 1980s. Another crisis enveloped the film industry following a ban enforced by insurgents on screening Hindi films in local cinema halls. Other hurdles have presented themselves in the digital era. But things are now looking up, with new Manipuri films being screened at international film festivals and winning a National Award (Eigi Kona, 2019). As film critic and author Meghachandra Kongbam puts it in his introduction: “Very rough weather never stops the sailing of the boat in the vast ocean”.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the successes and challenges of Manipuri cinema from its beginnings to the present day.

Meghachandra Kongbam 576pp, ~1,200, Self-published