Movie Review: 'Aamis' - An Unusual Love Story

By: Rahul Deka

Nowadays, an Assamese movie, 'Aamis', directed by Bhaskar Hazarika (of 'Kothanodi' fame) is making headlines for all the right reasons.

The movie, released on November 22 in select cinemas across the country, has been described as the "darkest movie of the year" and many critics have hailed it as the Northeast Indian movie released this year.

The movie deals with the human psychology and has as its central theme, the hunger for meat. What unfolds during the course of this 107-minute long cinematic gem is a bizzare love affair that signifies the beauty of attraction.

The film, which has been backed by the beloved Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap explores the various ways to love! Love for meat, love for food, love for body, love for time, love for smile -- these are some of the aspects of love which are explored.

Through the film, Hazarika tries to establish that love is nothing but the "unique connection" that is forged when two souls connect on the mortal plane, irrespective of age, and other

Aamis' is not your stereotypical Indian movie, and perhaps draws some elements from the famous arthouse cinema of Iran.

Hazarika's emphasis on minutiae -- sounds, facial expressions and small (yet effective) dialogues is what sets this movie apart from its fellow Indian brethren.

The plot of the movie is simple, yet explores the various aspects of the eternal human condition -- and how the human psychology deals with the power of sexual/emotional attraction.

Simply put, the film is the story of Sumon (Arghadeep Baruah), who is pursuing PhD in Anthropology, and is conducting a research on the food habits of Northeastern people and Nirmali (Lima Das) is a dentist and mother of a child. They are brought together for their mutual love for aamis (non-vegetarian food), however, their innate love for the fibre of meat soon leads them to dark places.

The film begins with with a song of the evergreen Jayanta Hazarika and ends with a theme of dark love, which signifies the shift in tone. The film explores the complexity of adult male life -- and the fantasy of how they perceive thin, beautiful, and married women.

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