III Smoking Barrels

III Smoking Barrels is a 2017 multi-lingual Indian movie that reflects the innovative approach of its creators and performers, such as Subrat Dutta, Indraneil Sengupta, Mandakini Goswami. The movie is an intriguing amalgam of narratives intermingling the stories of the North East India. III Smoking Barrels has been lauded for merging sensitive and compelling stories using local languages, effortlessly capable of resonating with a global audience.

The film, directed by Sanjib Dey, encompasses a rich tapestry of life's complexities and contrasts as experienced in North East India. Steering clear of cliched storytelling techniques, the movie is a compilation of three distinct but interconnected stories, hence the title 'III Smoking Barrels'. This multifaceted narrative style acts as a mechanism to capture the different cultural, socio-political and existential facets of life in North East India, providing a window into this less-explored facet of Indian cinema.

Each of the three tales traverses varied lifetimes and spaces, engaging the audience with their uniqueness. A distinct feature of the movie is its multi-lingual discourse. Shot entirely on location, it incorporates English, Hindi, Bengali, and various North Eastern dialects, specifically Assamese, Manipuri, and Nagamese. This linguistic diversity enrichens its representation of North-East India, amplifying the authenticity and relatability of its narratives.

The first tale revolves around a young, impressionable child employed in an illicit gun factory who suddenly finds himself in a dangerous world of crime. His world, laden with fear and trepidation, evokes empathy and shows viewers how children are sometimes hurled into a world they hardly understand or deserve.

The second narrative follows an elephant poacher who grapples with the consequences of his actions and the moral dilemma it begets. His battle between survival and morality is a poignant depiction of the desperate measures people are pushed into due to economic deprivation. It also communicates the riveting narrative of the ongoing animal-human conflict.

Lastly, the third story plunges into the world of a young couple who risk everything due to drug addiction, illuminating the destructive path that substance abuse leads its victims down. Their tryst with drugs, love, and their struggle for survival presents a startlingly raw and honest account of the harsh realities of drug abuse.

The three stories subtly explore the societal and economic challenges facing North East India, evident through the characters' individual struggles, responses to their circumstances, and their desperate attempts at survival. They encapsulate layers of displacement, predicament, and regret that ensue due to a lack of viable options, capturing the viewers' hearts in the process.

One of the critical successes of this movie is the creators' ability to depict the untouched terrains and unexplored narratives of North East India. Each narrative is punctuated with beautiful cinematography that captures the breathtaking landscapes of the region. However, the scenery, often juxtaposed with grim plots of the protagonists, adds a layer of irony to the narrative, underlining the harsh realities nestled in the lap of nature's bounty.

An ensemble cast that includes Subrat Dutta, Indraneil Sengupta, Mandakini Goswami, amongst others, deliver compelling performances. They breathe life into their characters with a raw intensity that leaves a profound impact, contributing to the overall narrative of the movie.

III Smoking Barrels is not simply a movie but a narrative journey that takes the viewers through the lands of North East India and the lives of its people, painted with anguish and hope. It is not just an amalgamation of well-curated individual stories, but a collective whisper of a region that serves as a metaphor of resilience, survival and hope.

In its core, III Smoking Barrels is an engaging exploration of the human condition, visible in its depiction of the child labourers, the poacher and the struggling couple. The movie, while underlining the adversities, struggles and the grim realities of life, showcases the relentless human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a cinema that illuminates the interplay between morality, survival and the human instinct for resilience. This film is surely a must-watch for those seeking a unique lens into the complexities of life’s dynamics in a lesser-known part of India.