Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | June 16
Nicholas Kharkongor’s film, Axone has created quite a buzz among the movie buffs, having portrayed what no other Indian mainstream movie has ever done before both in terms of casting and exploring the culture from the North East region. It has also gained much popularity for the subject of ‘racism’ that it deals with.
When it started streaming on Netflix from June 12, Axone was also among the keenly anticipated movies. The Morung Express spoke with some Naga film lovers on their perspective about the movie, and while not all of them may have liked it, there is a clear sense of appreciation for the much needed representation from the Northeast.
Imcha Imchen, who confessed that he loved the movie said, “It took me on a journey” while pointing out that “it’s very simple but also very complex. People from the North East are simple looking people but complex in the inside, and that’s the beauty of it.” Like any other work of art, he felt that there will always be the good and the bad, but is also of the view that “it is a good sign that in the future also, our talents and our creativity can be used.”
Especially when it comes to racism, he emphasized that “we need representation in the media” while voicing that there is so much to learn from the movie. He further noted that “when an artist makes a film, it does not always give you answers or solution but he/she is just making a work from his/her perspective”.
For Manen, a student of Kohima Science College, Axone did not live up to its hype even while putting across that “I found the character build up to be quite disappointing. Overall, the screenplay was below par and not up to my expectations."
Jongpong, another student in Dehradun had waited almost a year since the trailer released to the extent of creating a Netflix account just the night before Axone released. “Maybe it was because of my own high expectations, but I was disappointed. I felt like the food axone was not seen as a food but rather a disgusting thing. I also noticed that even while preparing the dish, those preparing didn't seem to enjoy it.” However, he felt that the depiction of racial discrimination faced by people from North East in the mainland cities was quite realistic.
“As a Sumi, it was the worst looking axone I have ever seen”, Aviho Chishi from Dimapur commented while Aloli Achumi, who is based out of Delhi said, “I enjoyed watching it, actually a lot of my friends who are not from Northeast India did too.” “I have been getting questions about the preparation of axone by a lot of people”, she added. But in the meantime, she felt that they could have worked a bit more on the accent. Otherwise, most of the incidents are very relatable, she put across.
For Chede Khalo, it is important for people to understand that axone movie is a “satire” and not necessarily a script to display the wealth of the NE culture or its sensitivities although it did display some of those. “People have argued and have shown displeasure of axone being compared to septic tank, lovers as cousins etc. What we have to come to terms is that this is but an allegory of the lives of northeasterners”, he put across while impressing upon that it would require hundreds of seasons, and a thousand more episodes knowing how diverse NE really is, to completely portray the life of the Northeast.
Stating that the movie wasn’t perfect, Nikou Koza however articulated that the fact that it represents a strong case for North Eastern representation, the reality and the struggles our people go through in the big city makes it so special.
Kape Khalo was disappointed that the movie did not include more of the Naga culture despite its title being derived from here. However, as a northeasterner, he said, “I may not have been moved by the movie as I am already well aware of the message, but a friend from outside northeast texted me after watching the movie saying that he is sorry that we have to face discrimination from our own country. So I think maybe for the outsiders, this movie delivered a very important message and made some impact regarding the issue.”
Although the movie is not great, Akho felt that Axone “is a huge development in the cinema world especially since it is coming from the northeast where there is not much scope and not much experience as compared to Bollywood or Hollywood.” Putting across that the humour present in the movie can mostly be understood by people from the North East, having lived and experienced it, he also felt there are some scenes which are a bit too dramatic and unnecessary per se.
However pointing to the ending part of the movie, where “the character Chandni said something to the character Bendang about how we northeasterns are stuck with only northeasterns and how we don't open up ourselves to the mainland Indians,” he asserted that “we live in our own small world and don't bother about others. It is a good message plus a reality about the northeasterns. Overall, it is a good movie and we have a lot to learn from it,” he added.
