Assamese actor-director Kenny Basumatari is elated at the reception of his latest film Local Utpat (local mischief). A comedy of errors shot in Guwahati, the film tells the story of seven youngsters and also stars Kenny. . “There is a lot of potential in our youth. We started shooting for Local Utpat (LU) in 2019 and completed the shooting within three months in February 2020. Then came the lockdown and we were stuck with post production work.”
Kenny says he wanted to release the film once theatres reopened and people stepped out to the movies. Made on a budget of ₹25 lakhs, the movie was partly crowd-funded. “The entire movie was made with a very basic set-up. No fancy camera, no fancy clothes…I wanted viewers to connect with faces and lives,” he says.
The team of Local Utpat
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kenny had earlier directed Local Kung Fu (2013), a martial arts comedy that soon became a rage as a meme that year. Local Utpat like Local Kung Fu has been shot in an unglamorous setting to render a real feel. In LU, Kenny has shown women in a very different light: independent, fierce, strong, loving and fashionable. The female lead actor is a fitness trainer who does handstands easily, after a drink.
Was it difficult to get the team in place? “Not really, I kind of knew who I would cast. I had very specific requirements, so looking for the cast wasn’t a hassle at all. I chose Poonam Gurung as the female actor because of her versatile skills,” adds Kenny.
After Local Kung Fu and its sequel, and now Local Utpat, is a ‘local’ title proving to be lucky for him? Kenny says the plan was to call the movie just Utpat (mischief), “then a friend from the industry said I must include the word local for brand recall.”
Kenny and his team are now touring districts of Assam to get a first-hand feel of the crowd’s response to the movie.
