Manasi

The landlord Debnarayan Baruah has only one grandson, Bulu, to inherit his estate. Years earlier his close friend Lakshminarayan had resolved that their son and daughter would marry. Honouring that wish, Debnarayan asks Lakshminarayan's widow, Hemaprabha Chaudhurani, to give her granddaughter Manasi to Bulu. In a confused moment she agrees, and the two children are married with Vedic rites. Debnarayan dies during the celebrations.

Manasi's mother, Chitra, cannot accept the marriage. Half mad with anger and grief, she tries to wipe the vermilion from her daughter's forehead. As years pass she educates Manasi, prepares her for modern society and searches for a suitable groom. Bulu, left utterly alone, drifts through life as if lost in a crowd.

But it is not easy for Manasi to cast off the bond made in her childhood.

The scenes were shot at Technician Studio in Kolkata. Manasi was the last Assamese film shot in a Kolkata studio; the first to be filmed in Kolkata had been Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's Indramalati.

Director Balai Sen was a Bengali film actor and worked as assistant, associate or chief assistant director. He was associate director on Kabuliwala (1957), a National Award winner for best film, and on Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990), for which the director won a National Award. His assistant director credits include Sabuj Dwiper Raja (1979), Ek Je Chhilo Desh (1977), Sagina (1974), Apanjan (1968), Hate Bazare (1967), Jhinder Bandi (1961) and Kshudhita Pashan (1960).

Sound was recorded by Baloram Barui and Anil Talukdar, with art direction by Suniti Mitra. Ramen Baruah composed the music, Keshab Mahanta wrote the lyrics, and the singers were Dipen Baruah, Ramen Baruah and Namita Bhattacharya.

An Odia version of the film, titled Agnipariksha, was also made.