Stranded in Mumbai since March, Village Rockstars director Rima Das to return to hometown in Assam
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 27, 2020)

With domestic flights resuming operations on Monday, National Award-winning filmmaker Rima Das is planning to return to Assam in the coming days. The Village Rockstars director, who had flown down to Mumbai in March to kick off her next with Tillotama Shome, stayed put at her Versova residence after the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown was announced.

"My family kept asking me to procure permission to travel back home, but I couldn't. Now, I can finally go back," she says. Das reveals that she stayed in touch with her family over frequent video calls. "Initially, I was missing home because we live in a joint family. Villages offer open spaces; my house has a backyard and a pond. But, I wouldn't have understood the magnitude of this lockdown if I were in Assam. I experienced the anxiety borne out of isolation during this period."

Her next, revolving around a woman dealing with a separation, was to be shot in Mumbai and Assam. "The first half is set in Mumbai. Since I shoot chronologically, I can't kick off the shoot with the second half in Assam. Then, it will be a disjointed character emotionally."