Language: Tangkhul, Manipuri and English

Produced and directed by Oinam Doren

Duration: 1 hour, 4 minutes.

Songs of Mashangvawas one ofthree films that won the 58th National Award, 2010 bagging a prize for Best Ethnographic Film in the non-feature film category.

‘Songs of Mashangva’ traces the music of the Tangkhul Naga and its return to the modern age: as Naga Folk Blues. In the deep hills of Northeast India, Christianity and pop culture have taken over the lifestyle and imagination of the Tangkhul tribes. The protagonist Rewben Mashangva from Choithar travels through the remote villages of the Tangkhul Naga to talk to the old people and collect songs and instruments. The rhythms, melodies and lyrics help form his own music, which he describes as Naga Folk Blues. In his traditional ‘Haokuirat’ hairstyle and western boots alongwith his 9 year old son Saka, he performs across India and South – east Asia spreading the message that some songs have no end….

The film was shot for more than one and half years at Rajasthan, Nagaland, Kolkatta, Shillong, Imphal and other villages of Manipur. The calm settings of the locales and the panoramic frames only adds to the beautiful story of Mashangva.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira