Ranchi: A day after receiving the best debut film of a director (non-feature) award at the 72nd National Film Awards from President Droupadi Murmu, filmmaker Ravi Raj Murmu returned on Tuesday to a rousing welcome at Birsa Munda Airport, marking a milestone in a journey that began in Kumirmudi village in East Singhbhum’s Jadugoda region.Murmu’s 12-minute Santali film ‘Angen’ won the honour, making the moment especially significant as both the filmmaker and President belong to the Santhal community.“A message from the President in our language was very special. She blessed me, asked me to keep working for society and continue moving forward,” Murmu said.The 34-year-old, son of a seasonal farmer, graduated from Karim City College, Jamshedpur, in 2014 with a degree in mass communication and video roduction. He joined the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, in 2016 for a master’s programme in film editing.It was during his FTII years that ‘Angen’ took shape. The film uses symbolism to explore migration, displacement and loss of identity through the story of a cowherd boy lured into a divine realm who later finds he cannot return home.“The film speaks about people who get disconnected from their roots and identity,” Murmu said.Inspired by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s ‘Pather Panchali’ and Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, Murmu wrote the script in 2016. But the project remained stalled as producers turned it down, often asking him to make it in Hindi.The breakthrough came in 2023, when as a guest lecturer at Karim City College, he made the film with students in a workshop format. Except for around Rs 2 lakh spent on post-production, it was completed largely through voluntary support from his FTII batchmates.After travelling to festivals in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata, ‘Angen’ has brought national recognition to Jharkhand’s tribal identity. Murmu has dedicated the award to the Santhal community and hopes to develop the short into a feature film.
