Theja Rio’s internationally acclaimed movie Angh stems from the question of holding on or letting go
Following the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and with an Academy Awards campaign underway, Theja Rio’s debut feature, Angh, continues to garner attention. Set in 1960s Nagaland, the film follows a Konyak Naga father (Angh) and son (Amao) whose beliefs are challenged by the arrival of an American Christian missionary. We speak to Theja about the film and the story behind it.
How does Amao’s curiosity reflect young people’s need to question and learn?
I think by being neutral. It’s a film that strives to do justice to both sides —the conservative and the fast-moving modernity that has arrived in the region. The film’s inception lies in a conflict that I have seen through both lenses. Naga people have struggled to hold on to our age-old traditions while also embracing modern life. When you care deeply about both sides, I think it comes out organically. Amao’s curiosity is seen through the lens of a child/teen, and one can also see why so many people converted. The new life is less harsh than the one his father holds on to. I guess that’s the tragedy. Sometimes, things that define you are also threatening.
How did you balance preserving and romanticising the past?
Since I wasn’ t there in the ’60s, when I think of the past, I can’t help but romanticise it a bit. The film is also heavily influenced by archival footage and photographs captured by the early colonisers. This brings about an aesthetic understanding. You can’t avoid romanticising it to an extent. But you couple that with a lot of research and interviews with older people, where a lot of harsh realities also surface. So if you bring the two together, there is a nice balance.
How was it directing non-actors?
I was fortunate enough to have very intelligent people. They understood the characters. We also cast them because they embodied Konyak culture and were from the same historical background. So, they understood the emotional journey of the characters well. We just had to make them face the camera angles and deliver the dialogues, or do it from a different angle. There are not many dialogues in the film, but they had to deliver them accurately. For others, we gave them keywords so they could say it in their own way.
Which details took the longest to get right while you were recreating an era?
Definitely the village and the world’s designs. Of course it was a set where no one was living, and the houses were mostly empty. But we wanted to follow the details as much as possible, including the minute nuances. T he Konyak community people stayed on set and built it along with my Portuguese production manager. We didn’t use machines but relied on these people and materials sourced from the forest itself.
What did the Platform Prize and the Academy Awards Campaign change the way you look at the possibilities for an indie filmmaker today?
I think it has given me a lot of hope, especially when your debut feature has done what it’s done. I had a lot of conviction but not much expectation. Indie films are hard to break out, but we can safely say Angh was really successful. This doesn’t necessarily change how I make films, but it made me believe in an audience for independent cinema, no matter what language or region it belongs to.
If Angh is about the world slowly changing, what about contemporary Nagaland would you like to preserve?
The diverse identity in Nagaland! We are part of India, with a very British education system, but our Christianity also comes from the American missionaries.That itself has become an identity. With the internet making everything smaller, common, and singular, I hope we can preserve this diversity.
With Angh becoming so popular, one would expect you to scale up. But you are not doing so. Is this a conscious decision?
It is strategic. It’s my way of controlling my narrative. It’s nice to keep the audience guessing. I also don’t want to follow the trajectory where things keep getting bigger and bigger until you lose the intimacy.
What next after Angh