On little-known art

The trailer of Gombira, a documentary, has been officially launched by Major Ravi. The documentary, written and directed by Shabin, will attempt to shed light on the legendary art form of West Bengal, Gombira. The 45-minute documentary will discuss the art form through the history of Malda, a district close to the India-Bangladesh border where the film was shot. Local Gombira artistes and others played key roles in the documentary.

The art form, which is satirical in nature and accompanied by songs and dance, was often used to discuss various issues in society. Initially, it was played in Shiva temples, and people believed that it would help them share their hardships with the lord. Later, during the British Raj, it was banned since the medium was used by people to mock the British policies. Today, the art form is used as an effective tool to discuss topics pertaining to contemporary life like global warming, deforestation and so on. “The art form played a key part in history, but is little known among people,” says Shabin. The documentary is produced by Miracle Studios. Prasanth Pradeep is DOP, Vivek T.S. is editor, Deepak Raj is associate director and Kavya Baburaj has done story research. At the trailer launch event, mementos were handed to Major Ravi and all those who worked behind the documentary.