Shillong, Feb 8: Meghalaya is exploring ways to broaden its footprint in the world of cinema but, far from home, a 70-year-old retired teacher took a leap of faith and made a name for herself in Kerala with a powerful performance on the silver screen.
Biana Watre Momin, who used to teach at Tura Government College, was spotted through a short film she had featured in exploring Garo folklore that dealt with the transformation of human souls into animals. She does not play a Garo person in Eko, however, but a person from Malaysia. And she does it in Malayalam, which she had to learn from scratch.
Her path to fame took her away from Garo Hills and away from her four dogs and grandchildren, across 3,000km to Kerala.
“Growing up, my town did not have a cinema or theatre,” she was quoted as telling the BBC, so acting had never really come to her mind. “I was initially hesitant as I had no experience in acting and was concerned about the long travel from home. But my daughter nudged me, saying, ‘Have faith in yourself and try something new.'”
Momin’s character, Mlathi Chettathi, fed the Japanese during their invasion of Malaysia during the Second World War. For decades, she lives alone up in the Western Ghats in a forest, with feral dogs for company and mysterious men claiming to have ties to her.
The BBC reported that the search for the right actor led the film team to reach out to members of the Army stationed in the North East as they looked for someone who could pass for a Malay. But it was the short film that Momin had made that caught their eye.
“It seems an unusual coincidence that a short film involving animals led me to a role also set in the company of animals,” Momin said. “I am proud, as an indigenous person, that there are creative people willing to take a chance on me at this age,” Momin says. “I hope it inspires more representation.”
Although she learnt her lines in Malayalam, hers is not the voice we hear on screen because, as is common in Indian cinema, a voice artist dubbed the lines after filming.
The film, which was completed in just 45 days, is streaming on Netflix.
Crew members say they were struck by her sharp grasp of emotion, angles and movement. Momin credits her full life for that and also singled out the matrilineal traditions of the Garos, which is somewhat shared by the people of Kerala.
“This is a self-reliant character who outwits those trying to exploit her with silent grit and steely determination. Momin slipped into this feminist folklore with quiet understanding,” Eko’s writer and cinematographer Bahul Ramesh said.
There has been tremendous praise for Momin’s performance and Bollywood has already been in touch with her. “Talks are on,” she told the BBC. “Let’s see what surprises are in store.”
