Abartan

Jayanti, skilled at singing, dancing and recitation, ends up in a travelling theatre troupe after facing difficult circumstances. She has little choice, since acting is all she knows, and her family, though first opposed, comes to depend entirely on her earnings. She spends twelve years in the theatre. During that time her elder sister marries, but no one at home gives thought to Jayanti herself.

She meets Parimal Dutta, a sensitive engineer, and the two grow close. When he proposes, obstacles rise on every side. Her family fears losing her income. Nihar, the troupe's hero, a married man, objects because he would lose access to her. The theatre owner refuses to let go of his star, on whom the business depends, and even threatens court action over breach of terms. In the end Jayanti finds a tactful way to leave the stage without harming the theatre and moves ahead to build a happy home with Parimal.

Bhabendra Nath Saikia was director, producer, screenwriter and dialogue writer. Unlike his other films, it was not adapted from a short story or novel. For the first time he built the film on an original story about travelling theatre, and the background score uses the musical style of that theatre. It was shot in colour on 16 mm.

Saikia had been involved with travelling theatre since 1982 and had watched the lives of its actors and crew from close quarters. The story grew from that experience. The cast also included the actors of the Aabahan Theatre.

Abartan was selected for the Indian Panorama. At the 41st National Film Awards (1994) it received the National Award (Rajat Kamal) for Best Film in Assamese.

In Bhabendra Nath Saikia's filmography, Abartan came after Agnisnaan (1985) and Sarothi (1991) and was followed by Itihaas (1995).