Zubeen Garg, one of the most renowned cultural figures in Assam who has made an unforgettable impact as a singer and composer but also as an actor and a movie star. The movie Mon Jai 2008 is one of the powerful and thought provoking projects that he has made significant contributions to the Assamese cinema. Based on a story by Manju Borah, the National Award winning director, Mon Jai is a socially conscious drama which studies the plight, frustrations, and dreams of the young Assamese people in the backdrop of unemployment, insurgency and corruption. The inclusion of Zubeen Garg into the movie added an extra element to its influence, as well in his acting as in his music.
Why is Zubeen Garg’s Role In Mon Jai So Iconic?
Mon Jai, translated to ‘I Feel Like’, is based on the lives of four young men who are educated but unemployed and have gotten stuck in a state of disillusionment. Their efforts to make ends meet in a society full of inequality, broken structures, and poor opportunities are portrayed in the film. This emotional instability slowly leads them to make the choice that brings them close to the boundaries between right and survival. Zubeen Garg is an inseparable part of the whole, and his natural appeal and passion are done justice to by a character with whom an entire generation is restless.
Zubeen Garg’s Musical Contributions To Mon Jai
The power of the film is in the bare storytelling, in its capacity to mirror the sense of Assam at the moment, when the psyche of the young people in the country was being influenced by the socio political turmoil and economic downturn. The same energy is reflected on screen through Zubeen who has always been regarded as an opposition to Assam and youth. His Mon Jai performance received a lot of praise because of its authenticity as he easily swapped between being a singer with whom one can listen to because of his soulful voice and an actor who could be entrusted with complicated feelings. Besides acting, Zubeen also made some music contributions to the movie. His tunes helped to make the story more emotional, providing brief moments of contemplation and catharsis.
Zubeen Garg’s Portrayal Of Assamese Youth In Mon Jai
The very title, Mon Jai, points at the anxious desire that is sometimes prominent in the music of Zubeen wherein the motifs of freedom, love, pain, and resistance are intertwined. The film would subsequently be highly praised and it would take home the National Award in the best feature film category in Assamese in 2008, a move that further cemented its place in Assamese movie history. Mon Jai, as it is remembered in the case of Zubeen Garg is not just another acting role, but a movie which not only suited his artistic philosophy, it tells an art that reflects reality and questions the society in addition to offering a voice of the voiceless.
Also Read: Legendary Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg Passes Away In Singapore
