EntertainmentPosted at: Sep 21 2026 8:03PM


‘We need peace’: National Award-winning filmmaker on Manipur’s crisis

Parwinder Sandhu
Kevadiya, Sep 21 (UNI) The continuing conflict in Manipur has made it extremely difficult for filmmaker Yumnam Ajit Singh to tell stories about the state, with the deep divisions between communities leaving filmmakers wary of being perceived as taking sides.
Singh, whose Manipuri film 'Sunita' has won the 72nd National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Manipuri, said the situation was so sensitive that making a film on the current crisis could invite criticism from either side.
“The situation in Manipur is very, very difficult. We don't want to bring the story. The situation is that bad. Too bad,” Singh said in an interview with UNI.
Asked whether he would consider making a film on the present situation in Manipur, Singh said it was a difficult proposition because of the competing perceptions and accusations between the two communities.
“Two communities are blaming each other. How can I make a film? Because I'm from one community. Even if I do something from the other side, my community will blame me. Vice versa, they will blame me. So it is very difficult,” he said.
Singh, who belongs to the Meitei community, said filmmakers were also reluctant to take risks in addressing the crisis at a time when normal life in the state remains disrupted.
Yet, he said, his next film could eventually explore the present situation, with a central message of peace and reconciliation. “If everything goes well, I'll be making a movie on this one. It's really about our present situation,” he said, adding that the objective would be to explore how peace could be restored.
“We should bring peace. We should bring peace somehow, at any cost. Somehow there will be a way,” Singh said.
He also pointed to the difficulties faced by people in travelling outside Manipur, saying that for nearly four years road travel out of the state had remained difficult and air travel had become the option even for poor and middle-class families.
The challenges facing the state's film industry are equally daunting. Singh said Manipur lacked much of the infrastructure required to produce films, forcing filmmakers to depend on other cities for equipment, technical expertise and post-production facilities.
“There is nothing there at all, the equipment, technical facilities, everything. We have to hire from Guwahati and Kolkata. Even post-production has to be done in Guwahati, Kolkata or Mumbai,” he said.
For making 'Sunita', Singh said he had to get the sound design done in Mumbai. Despite the constraints, the film became his third feature, following 'Who Are We' and '411'.
'Sunita' tells the story of Moirangthem Sunita, who loses her eyesight at a young age but strives to lead an independent life despite her visual impairment. The film was certified in 2024 and went on to win the Best Feature Film in Manipuri award at the 72nd National Film Awards, announced on July 18.
For Singh, however, the recognition is not merely a personal achievement. He wants the award and the film to draw greater attention to the lives of people with disabilities.
His message is one of empathy rather than sympathy. “Please have empathy for the visually impaired. Not only the visually impaired, but differently-abled people. Do not feel sympathy for them. Feel empathy for them,” he said.
Singh said society needed to understand the lived experiences of persons with disabilities rather than viewing them only through the lens of their limitations.
“Go inside their life. Just think and find out how they are living,” he said, stressing that understanding their everyday challenges was essential to offering meaningful support.
For the filmmaker, 'Sunita' has therefore become more than an award-winning film. It is an attempt to place the experiences of a visually impaired woman at the centre of a larger conversation about dignity, independence and empathy.
UNI PWS RN
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