The National Award-Winning Film ‘Angen’:
For the first time in Indian cinema history, a Santhali-language film titled Angen (Invisible) won a National Film Award.
- Announced at the 72nd National Film Awards, director Ravi Raj Murmu received the prestigious honor for Best Debut Film of a Director in the Non-Feature Category.
- Angen is a 12-minute 10-second Santhali short film inspired by a mystical indigenous folktale passed down through generations.
- It marks a historic milestone as the first Santhali film ever to win a National Film Award, bringing Jharkhand’s rich tribal culture and storytelling to the national stage.
- The short film was written and directed by Ravi Raj Murmu, a 34-year-old filmmaker and Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune graduate from Jaduguda in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
- The plot centers on an innocent shepherd boy whose flute playing attracts a celestial deity (one of the seven sisters/goddesses). Mesmerized by his music, she uses her divine powers to take him to the heavenly realm. Overcome by memories of his roots, he embarks on a journey back to Earth, only to discover that his beloved village has completely vanished.
- The film uses the folktale as a metaphor for contemporary social issues—specifically the large-scale migration of young villagers to metropolitan cities in search of modern opportunities.
- It reflects on how blindly chasing development often disconnects youth from their native language, culture, and social identity.
