Khoto Sikko’ music released, film to follow suit soon

GANGTOK, October 13: The music of the first-ever contemporary Marwari film with the evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora was released today by Sikkim Forest minister Bhim Dhungel here at the Press Club of Sikkim (PCS) premises.A special screening of the Marwari film, ‘Khoto Sikko’ was also done at the Club premises for the journalists by a film maker of Sikkim.

According to the director-producer Rakesh Somani, the film ‘Khoto Sikko’ is the first ever Marwari feature film in the world and will be ready for release in the first week of September.“This is the first ever Marwari film in the new evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora”, said Mr. Somani before the movie was screened. He explained that the Marwari language being spoken in the original areas of community in Rajasthan is different from the language being spoken by the community who has migrated in other areas of the nation.

“With the influence of various cultures and languages, particularly Hindi, a new face of Marwari language has emerged. This new spoken language that has evolved has a difference in both the vocabulary as well as the prosody when compared to the classical variants of Marwari language spoken in various parts of Rajasthan”, said Mr. Somani.The shooting of the film started on May 20 this year and will be released after Diwali. The film runs over two and half hours and has seven songs.

The movie has been shot in Sikkim and West Bengal and the star cast in the film is from Sikkim, West Bengal and Nepal. The male lead is played by upcoming model Rounak Somani with Sonia Seth, who is from Namchi in South Sikkim, is paired opposite him in the movie. Local journalists Joseph Lepcha, Bhim Rawat, Anand Oberoi and Sanjay Agarwal have also acted in the film while another local journalist BP Bajgai is the assistant director.The storyline of the ‘Khoto Sikko’ film is based on the popular Marwari proverb ‘Khoto Sikko, Kaput Beto, Ari Mahi Kaam Awa’ meaning ‘a useless coin, a spoilt brat helps in adversity’, said BP Bajgai, the assistant director.

The filmmaker said that the prospect of enjoying the full-length feature film in ‘common’ Marwari is a dream for most Marwari films. He highlighted that it is through dramas and films that the upcoming generation will be interested to their language.“Although the artistes in the film are new but they have given their hundred percent and their good work is reflected in the film”, said Mr. Somani.