Assamese filmmaker Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap, on his BIFF-selected film Kok Kok Kokoook

Kok Kok Kokoook is a magic realist drama about a chicken seller, Siken, who shares an intimate bond with his red RX100 motorcycle. But he has to dispose of it for fear of being framed for an accident. Once the bike disappears, his world turns upside down.

Kok Kok Kokoook is the sound of a chicken. The film is about people who are pushed to the fringes. I feel we are all chicken in a cage at a chicken shop waiting for our own turn. The film features a gorgeous chicken that our lead actor Raju Roy had named Bipasha. She is no more now, but her memories are with us and hopefully will remain with the audience, too.

I was into children’s theatre and slowly started to dream of making films. Since it always seemed there was no space for Assamese films, I thought SRFTI would be my way to Bollywood. But as I spent my years there, it became clearer that what I wanted to say mostly comes from my roots. I realised that it's best to go back home and make my own films. It might be a difficult rout,e but it’s necessary to look inside ourselves before looking outside.

Dominic Sangma is sensei! He has been mentoring me since my first film at SRFTI. I feel our seniors from SRFTI, especially the ones from the Northeast, have always been very kind to me. Dominic is the one who really pushed me to make the film into what it is today. Even after the film was made, he really guided and represented the film as the Creative Mentor.

This open-hearted support that he showed is something to learn from him. In his words, “There is no competition. It’s only about creating a space for us to make our own kinds of films.” I hope my fellow mates and I can carry forth this gesture towards our other contemporaries or newer filmmakers.

The length of the film was secondary. As we kept making the film, it kept growing- not just in length but also in essence.

The idea of professionalism is a little out of place right now, in Assam. Like booking equipments with an advance amount does not mean you will get the equipment on the shoot. Within a very limited budget and time, it was almost impossible to make this film, if not for the cast and crew’s dedication and willpower.

I am yet to discover it firsthand, but as far as I have seen with my fellow filmmakers, distribution is a very difficult task for regional films. There are so few screens in all of the northeast. But then there are films that have done really well. In the last two months, three consecutive films have been hits in Assam.

It’s completely evident. The struggle of identity is more internal than external. Even if the cultural map would recognise our north-eastern dance, songs, or folk art forms, does it mean to get acceptance in the ‘main land’? I guess the path we are on now has been taken after so much trial and error that now we can walk on any hopeful path. I do see hope in small achievements, which will give us what has been taken away the most from us, our confidence!

Jia Zhangke, Tsai Ming Liang, Jafar Panahi, Lee Chang Dong, Johny To, Park Chan Wook etc. Also, I really hope to meet Hong Sang Soo and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

I am working on two of my own scripts and writing scripts for a few other filmmakers from the Northeast.