Sam Bhattacharjee on OTT platform not streaming Assamese film 'Sikaar': 'Feels offensive and reeks of regional racism'

Sikaar, led by Adil Hussain, is slated to arrive in cinemas on September 20

On the one hand, Rima Das' Assamese film Village Rockstars 2 is gearing up to compete for the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan International Film Festival 2024. On the other hand, closer home, there seem to be no takers for Assamese movies. A case in point being Sikaar, starring Adil Hussain, Zubeen Garg, and Urmila Mahanta. When producer Sam Bhattacharjee approached Prime Video India three weeks ago to be the movie's streaming partner, the suits at the platform turned down the offer. In an email sent to the makers, the streaming giant revealed that its focus for the 2025-26 slate is limited to mainstream films in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, and Gujarati. Strangely, it excludes Assamese language productions from consideration for its roster.

To the makers, this exclusion feels like another instance of cultural and linguistic marginalisation that people in North-east India face. Director Debangkar Borgohain, whose drama will hit the theatres on September 20, criticises the move. "We faced mass visa rejections [for the UK] for our cast and crew when Sikaar was being made. Now, with streaming giants ignoring our language, it feels like we're being denied our right to be part of India's cultural landscape," says Borgohain.

Bhattacharjee

At a time when the audience is transcending the language barrier to enjoy movies from different parts of the country and the world, Prime Video's library currently appears lacking in Assamese feature films. To Bhattacharjee, it raises questions about inclusivity, as he says, "Amazon may deliver products to the North-eastern states, but their content selection process for Amazon Prime Video is questionable, especially when they don't even consider screeners. While OTT platforms have their policies, Amazon's exclusion of North-east Indian content feels offensive and reeks of regional racism. The issue of linguistic demarcation within India continues to fuel debates, especially when foreign-owned companies like Amazon make business decisions that appear to deepen the divide."

mid-day reached out to Amazon Prime Video's representatives for a comment. Despite multiple reminders, they did not respond till press time.