M Maniram Announces Mon Jai Chapter 2 as a Tribute to Zubeen Garg

A New Film Inspired by a Cultural Icon

Guwahati, Oct 10: Filmmaker Moirangthem Maniram Singha, known as M Maniram, is developing Mon Jai Chapter 2 as a homage to the late Zubeen Garg.

In an interview, Maniram revealed that he has completed approximately 75% of the screenplay for the upcoming film, which will feature a narrative inspired by his own experiences.

“Mon Jai Chapter 2 will honor Zubeen Garg. While the storyline will differ from the original Mon Jai, it will maintain a similar theme, focusing on societal frustrations. The cast will also be new,” he explained.

The first Mon Jai was produced by M Maniram and Deepankar Dutta, with a budget of around Rs 35 lakh. Currently, Maniram is finalizing arrangements with a producer for the sequel, with filming set to begin next year.

“I plan to finish the screenplay and dialogues in the next 2-3 months. Zubeen was enthusiastic about the story when I shared it with him, and he expressed interest in participating. Now, I will need to find a new lead,” Maniram stated.

Reflecting on Zubeen's legacy, he remarked, “Zubeen was an incredibly gifted actor with a unique presence that resonated with the Assamese youth. He was also very compassionate. Despite our disagreements during the filming of Mon Jai, he never held grudges and maintained positive relationships with everyone.”

Although Mon Jai was well-received, it suffered from piracy issues, preventing the producers from making a profit beyond recovering their initial investment. The film is now set to be available on WAVES, the OTT platform of Prasar Bharati.

Mon Jai was originally filmed in 16 mm format, and Maniram plans to convert it to digital format soon. “This might be the last Assamese film shot in 16 mm. At that time, digital filming was prohibitively expensive for me. The conversion will enhance the film's color quality,” he noted.

Recently, several individuals uploaded Mon Jai to YouTube, where it garnered a positive response from viewers. Maniram indicated that he would pursue legal action against those who uploaded the film without permission.

In 2010, Maniram began working on another film titled You Are Not My Julie, which featured Zubeen Garg in the lead role. However, it was left unfinished for various reasons.

“About 30% of the film, including the climax and a song, remains to be shot. I will reshoot it with new actors after completing Mon Jai Chapter 2. I am confident that You Are Not My Julie will be successful,” he concluded.