Axone - More than just a film

Finally the film is releasing! I have been getting queries from my friends and friends' friends asking about “ How and Where to see this film” since last one year. Why me? Because I am “related” to someone very closely associated with the film. But hang on everyone, this is not a good / bad / paid review. I am writing how I felt watching AXONE . That’s it.

For those who don’t know, Axone or Akhuni is a dish from the North Eastern part of India. Various states among the 8 sisters use Axone in their cuisine in different forms and of course different names.

The official poster

Axone is fermented soya beans and because of the high protein content in these beans, in their
fermented stage, they smell like putrefaction. Well to many! The “stench” is such that when Delhi Police had a directive - “ Security tips for North east students / visitors in Delhi” in 2007- it mentioned Axone alongside bamboo shoots as a food item to be AVOIDED.

That “Directive” had many do’s and don’ts for people from North east in Delhi. After spending a couple of years in Delhi from 2004-2006, I was already back in Assam in 2007. If you ask me, if I had faced any issues because of the way I look or what I cook; no I didn’t. But while house hunting, I have seen people looking more curiously towards my younger sister whose Mongoloid features were more prominent than me. We managed to find a place / one room with an attached bathroom in Safdarjung Enclave, South Delhi. When we were leaving that place, me to move back to Assam and sister to a shared apartment with other girls, our landlady said “ How do we find people like you now!”

Sayani Gupta and Tenzin Dalha in a scene from Axone

Axone  is a small quirky lighthearted take on some bigger issues. A group of friends
want to cook Axone pork for their friend who is getting married that day. How they manage to do that, hiding its overpowering smell and hiding / facing / moving on with the stench of soft racial discrimination all around. The place where this story is based, is not very far from where we used to live. Of course in 2004, the place was “little” different than what it has evolved to be now.

Written and directed by Nicholas Kharkongor and Produced by Yoodlee Films, Axone offers many moments which anyone from North East staying outside the 8 sisters can identify with. That is why when the trailer was released a year ago, people lapped it up. You go to the Axone trailer on Youtube and read the comments and you will understand what I am talking about. This has become an emotion for many from North East India, staying in various parts of India and the World.

Lanuakam Ao / Bendang in Axone

It  is very human to be doubtful / wary of things unknown or something you are not familiar with. Don't we all have our doubts when stepping out of our comfort zones? Likewise in the film, people from the “mainland” are wary of these bunch who look different, speak alien languages and eat very very different stuff. For Example; in one scene a “local” guy casually passes an offensive remark to Chaanbi or when another character states “ How can I tell you apart, you all look the same!”. All these because the so called “ others” look different. That has led to some walls. It is not one sided though. In the film , when Bendang tries, fails and says “ I don’t sing Hindi songs” , he builds up a wall too. We from Northeast are as much a part of this country as anyone from any other part. What is the harm in learning and singing a Hindi or even a Punjabi song? The walls need to be broken from both sides. I firmly believe that. His story has hints of a rather infamous incident of violent racial attack on someone from North East. Sadly the person lost his life. Bendang here gets a second chance.

The film has some characters which are very stereotypical. I felt all the characters from the landlady's family were such. But they exist and Shiv aka Hyper steals the show with his "over enthusiasm". For every slur you receive, you wish you have a friend like Hyper who sticks with you without judging you.

Racial discrimination is an issue the world is battling with. As someone from Northeast India, I am not being biased to people from our part of the country. But in my 2 years in Delhi, I never disliked it. I still love visiting Delhi. Now living in Mumbai I have turned into a true blue Mumbaikar running in and out of local trains 5 days a week. ( That’s a validation my Bambaiyya dost log have given). Why Axone worked for me is because it tries to show both sides; though subtly, but it does and that’s the reason I root for this film.

Axone is releasing on Netflix on 12th June 2020. Go watch it and share your thoughts. I bet you have never seen this part of Delhi in any other Hindi film :)


Poster credits : Yoodlee films and Parasher Baruah.

5 Bollywood songs I so love

I admit I have grown up on heavy dose of Bollywood. Such a filmy keeda I was, that now when they show some of those films on TV, I cringe. How could I and how did I, I wonder. But this also meant listening to many songs; good, bad and ugly. And no matter what, I firmly believe that Bollywood offers a song for every occasion in our lives. So here I am looking back and trying to figure out the 5 Bollywood songs that always bring to mind something special.




1. Tere Bina zindegi se koi : This is the very first love "love song" I fell for in my teen years. I mean such poignant lyrics and when I finally saw the complete film " Aandhi" I realized what the song meant by
" Without you I have no complains against life ;
   But without you there is no life either"

2. O Hansini Meri Hansini : Some songs bring with them a beautiful memory. This one sure brings  the wonderful memories of that special one year in Gwalior at the tourism institute. All my batch mates would agree to this. The scorching summer in Gwalior made us sit out in the lawn till the whistle for girls to return to hostel went off. During such sessions one of our batch mate Mohanty  would sing O Hansini and we all would join in. The wide open lawn, the breeze, the night and Mohanty's silky voice; Memories aah memories.

3. ALL the songs of Hero : I am referring to Subhash Ghai's film Hero. I know I know this film has awesome songs. In my earliest memories of road trips in Assam, the album Hero finds a very special place. It was our driver Robin who was more like a family member and still is, would play the songs. We were too young too choose or pick songs to play. Those trips from Golaghat to Jorhat and Sibsagar with the songs of Hero playing still are so fresh in my mind. And everytime I hear "Tu mera jaanu hai" I remember our old Ambassador car, I, my siblings and my parents travelling in all our excitement to our Grannny's place.

4. Mahi ve : Ok this is a very recent addition and for this I have to thank our cab driver from Srinagar to Leh who played this song. Unlike most public transport drivers, he did not play eighties and nineties tragic hindi songs. This song came up at a time when I was slowly falling for the rugged terrains of Ladakh. From the movie " Highway", this song is THE song for the highway for me now. Everytime I hear this song, I feel the road calling out to me to be on it, going somewhere soaking in the changing landscapes!

5. Yeh Dil Deewana : No heart break story attached here. Just that this was the favorite song of one of my favorite teacher in college - RC sir. In fact most of the students just loved him. In our first year of graduation, he taught us Dr. Faustus and Dylan Thomas' "Poem in October". In all honesty after first few classes of English Literature I was so confused that I wanted to change my subject to History. But slowly then the magic of the gems in English literature unfolded and I could make some sense out of it. A major role is played by RC sir. I have no idea how this song became his favourite, but it was and he would never shy away from admitting that.

This list just a tiny drop in the vast ocean of Hindi songs that I love. But these few songs carry a memory with them. Of course there are others too. But they remain my all time favourite.



PS : I have only shared the links to the videos as found on YouTube. All credits to uploaders of these videos.