Yet Another Feather In The Cap Of Ace Film Maker From Manipur
Syam Sharma's Leipaklei to be screened in Jeonju intl film fest
Source: The Sangai Express / Manipur Info Centre

Imphal, January 28 2013: Aribam Syam Sharma's latest Manipuri feature film-Leipaklei (2012) has been invited for participation at the Jeonju International Film Festival to be held at Jeonju, South Korea from April 25 to May 5, 2013 .

The Programme Coordinator of the Festival June Yunkyung Kim informed film maker Syam Sharma to screen the film in the section'Special Section: Beyond Bollywood' of the 14th edition of the international film festival.

The invitation came after the Jeonju festival authority selected the Manipuri film in the Kolkata International Film Festival.

Based on the Sahitya Akademi Award winning drama Leipaklei written by Arambam Samarendra, the film tells the story of a woman Leipaklei - who is separated from her husband and whose life is surrounded by the hard trials of fate and is burdened with sustaining herself and her little daughter.

A grab from the film Leipaklei

She had a lover once, but he joined the army and went to war.

It was believed that he died in the war.

Leipaklei gains inspiration from the moments she spent with him and lives in the hope that he will return one day.

He returns eventually, and brings with him a set of dilemmas because they can't live together.

Leipaklei is a name of a flowera symbol of patience and strength.

National film award winning actress Leisangthem Tonthoingambi is the protagonist of the film.

Leipaklei had an enthusiastic response from the audience and critics when it was screened in the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival held in Kolkata in November 10-17, 2012 and was the inaugural film of the 5th Guwahati Film Festival held at Guwahati in December 10-16, 2012 .

After scoring music as well as acting in the very first Manipuri film Matamgi Manipur (1972) directed by Deb Kumar Bose, Aribam Syam Sharma made his directorial debut in Lamja Parshuram (1974) which was a superhit film beating the show running record of Raj Kapoor's Bobby screened at another theatre in Imphal.

His second Manipuri film was Saphaabi (1979), based on a Manipuri folk story and received the national award in regional category.

His third Manipuri film Olangthagi Wangmadasoo (1980) was a block buster film running successfully more than 30 weeks breaking the record of Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, which was simultaneously screened in Imphal at other theatres.

The film also bagged the regional award in the National Film Awards.

Then Syam Sharma never looked back the commercial films and joined the bandwagon of 'New Wave' cinema with the making of Imagi Ningthem in 1981, which marked the first Indian film to have won the top prize of 'Grand Prix' in the Festival of Three Continents, Nantes in 1982. His film Ishanou (1990) which was screened in the UN Regard Section of the Cannes International Film Festival in 1991 and travelled in many major international film festivals was considered as another masterpiece of Syam Sharma and was screened recently in Indian International Film Festival, Goa in the Centenary Indian Film section among 27 Indian films selected.