Aporoopa

In the upper-class colonial society of Assam, a young woman is made to give up her university studies for an arranged marriage with a rich tea planter. The plantation and its social round become a prison of boredom, for her husband neglects her entirely for his business. She is outraged to learn that the marriage took place to wipe out her father's heavy debts, and feels she has been sold. When an old classmate and former lover, now an army officer, visits them, she is drawn to him in search of fulfilment.

Jahnu Barua directed, wrote and produced this film as his first feature. The music is by Bhupen Hazarika, the cinematography by Binod Pradhan and the cast includes Suhasini Mulay as Aparoopa, Biju Phukan as Rana, Sushma Seth, Girish Karnad, Farooq Sheikh and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. A Hindi version was released as Apeksha.

The film was released on 16 April 1982 and won Best Feature Film in Assamese at the National Film Awards.

Aparoopa launched Barua's career and began a long working relationship between Assamese filmmakers and the NFDC.