Rima Das’s ‘Not a Hero’ premieres at Berlin, earns strong response in Generation Kplus section

Assamese filmmaker Rima Das returned to the Berlin International Film Festival with her latest feature Not a Hero, which premiered in the Generation Kplus Competition segment and drew a warm response from audiences on February 14 at the festival’s 76th edition.

The film, set between an urban centre and a rural village in Assam, explores childhood, masculinity and belonging through the journey of a young boy adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. According to the official logline, the story follows a child “exiled from city comforts to his ancestral village”, where he encounters his “bitter aunt”, befriends a horse and joins local children on unrestrained adventures, ultimately discovering “a courage he never knew he had”.

Das said the film was conceived with young viewers in mind but avoids conventional moral framing. “‘Not a Hero’ trusts young audiences to sit with ambiguity and emotional complexity. It doesn’t simplify experience or resolve conflicts neatly. I’m grateful it premiered in Generation, a space where children are not symbols or lessons, but fully formed individuals,” she said. “Walking the red carpet with the team made the moment even more special and deeply meaningful.”

Shot in Assamese, Hindi and English, the film features Bhuman Bhargav Das in the lead role. He previously appeared in Das’s 2022 feature Tora's Husband. The cast also includes Sukanya Boruah alongside several non-professional performers.

Produced under Das’s banner Flying River Films in association with Akanga Film Asia, the project marks her third outing at Berlin. Her earlier works Village Rockstars and Village Rockstars 2 were also screened at the festival in previous editions.

With its focus on a child negotiating questions of identity and strength outside the framework of conventional heroism, Not a Hero continues Das’s engagement with intimate, region-rooted storytelling on an international platform.