Saturday, April 21, 2007

Jigthar - MovieReview

Historical facts blended with fiction, more action than dialogue and no dancing around trees makes “Jigthar - the escape”, the latest Bhutanese movie, different. Currently screening at the Lugar theatre in Thimphu, the one hour 50 minutes film attempts to portray an ancient legend of the Saktenpas, a nomadic community who inhabit northern Trashigang.


The legend is about Sakten’s brave ancestors, how they fought with a cruel lord, their escape and their settling at a base of the mountain in northern Bhutan later named as Sakten.
On screen since May 20, some section of viewers enjoyed the movie. “I am glad that I finally got to see a realistic Bhutanese movie,” said an elderly man.
Those who liked the movie also found the plot and the actions realistic. “The technical and sound effects were good,” another viewer said.
Many on the other hand, especially those who expected much of a usual romantic- tragedy sequence, were disappointed. “ I did not even shed a tear,” said a lady outside Lugar theatre.
The second movie to be shot on location in picturesque Sakten, actor, producer and director, Kesang P Jigme said that the film used facts about Sakten and mixed it with the country’s security issues to present a film that was a step away from the contemporary trend.
Shooting in Sakten proved to be fun said the crewmembers. “We employed the entire villager for a month and they were really co-operative,” said Sonam D Dorjee, producer and one of the actors in the film.
But Sakten’s unique culture was slowly disappearing according to Sonam D Dorji. “We had a tough time getting the original Sakten costumes. It is now being replaced by tracksuits sold in the market,” he said.
Kesang P. Jigme said the film purposely avoided the ‘dancing around the tree’ scenes to make the movie more realistic. The film also has English subtitles.
Kesang P Jigme and Kinga Wangmo are the lead cast in the film which was shot with a budget of Nu.1.5 million according to the producers.
Jigthar is the first movie produced jointly by KesJig and Samsara Films.
By Kesang Dema

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