Traditional cane craftsmanship from a small village in Assam’s Barpeta district has found a place in Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological epic ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’. Master artisan Jaynal Abdin of Jania Banglipara village led a 15-member team that handcrafted 30 to 35 pieces of cane-and-rubber armour for the film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman.
How the project reached Barpeta
The work took around three-and-a-half years to complete. Speaking to ANI, Jaynal Abdin said the project did not come to him directly from the film’s production house. It first reached Abdul Malek of the local organisation Gram Unnayan in Jania.“It did not come to me directly. It first came to Abdul Malek ji of Gram Unnayan here in Jania. He called me over and said a project had come in and asked me to take a look. They had sent a file initially containing the drawings and designs. After examining it, I said it could be done and discussed it with my team head. Soon after, five to six members from their team arrived here, and a member named Sagar stayed back with us to help oversee the measurements and corrections,” Jaynal Abdin told ANI.
Why pure cane did not work
Making wearable armour from stiff cane for high-intensity film scenes was a technical challenge. Jaynal Abdin said the first prototype had minor fitting issues around the neck and shoulders, and it was sent back with markings for changes. After it was refitted and tried on the lead actor, the pure cane structure turned out to be too rigid and tight for comfortable movement.“After we fixed the initial cuts, they made the main actor of the film wear it, and he said it was very hard and tight—which cane naturally is! They asked what alternative material could be used. I told them we could craft it out of whatever material they provided. They sent us black and green rubber, but weaving with rubber alone was not working. When I spoke to costume designer Ajay, I suggested using half cane and half rubber. He agreed and asked us to make one sample,” Jaynal Abdin explained.
Armour rushed to Guwahati Airport
Once the cane-and-rubber design was approved, the artisans worked on and off for over three years, whenever the production needed fresh pieces. To meet urgent shooting needs in Mumbai, finished armour jackets were sent straight from Barpeta to Guwahati Airport.“They gave me the contact number of a person at Guwahati Airport and told me to simply hand the jackets over to him. I would go to the airport, hand it over, and within two to three hours they would call to confirm they had received it. The work was not continuous; sometimes there would be no news for three to six months, and then suddenly a call would come asking for eight or ten pieces on very short notice before shooting resumed. In total, over three to three-and-a-half years, we sent around 30 to 35 pieces,” he said.
Artisans kept the project a secret
All 15 artisans in Jania Banglipara worked under strict confidentiality about the identity of the project.“At that time, they did not tell us we were making this for Ramayana. They only told us it was for a film shoot and assured us that our work would bring us recognition later. Now that the film has been released, we finally came to know. I have not watched the film yet, but I will definitely watch it because a small part of my own handiwork is in it,” Jaynal Abdin said.
Pride for the village and district
With ‘Ramayana’, having been released on November 5, Jaynal Abdin said the recognition belongs to the whole region.“I feel immense pride—pride for my team, for myself, for my village Jania Banglipara, and for the entire Barpeta district,” Jaynal Abdin added.Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film features Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash in the lead roles.