National Award-winning filmmaker Sanjib Sabhapandit returns after a decade with Akash Henu Nodir Naam (Ballad to the Winds), his first film since Dikchow Banat Palaax. The film explores queer identity and acceptance in a middle-class rural Assamese family.

Before its theatrical release on Friday, April 3, 2026, the film was screened at the 22nd Third Eye Asian Film Festival, allowing audiences an early preview.

At the 22nd Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Akash Henu Nodir Naam won the Best Film Award and also earned the Best Screenplay Award at the 8th Sailadhar Baruah Film Awards (NE), 2025.

The film follows a Brajavali-language scholar, played by Bishnu Kharghoria, as he confronts his son’s queer identity, played by Chanku Niranjan Nath.

Set in rural Assam, it explores love, family conflict, acceptance, and Assamese traditions. Atanu Mahanta plays Chanku’s South Indian friend, and Rina Bora portrays his mother.

Akash Henu Nodir Naam's most glaring flaw is its tedious execution. While the subject matter demands urgency, the storytelling is stagnant and emotionally void.

The film telegraphs its purpose but fails spectacularly at eliciting a genuine emotional response from viewers.
The production quality is outright poor.

Unrefined visuals, distracting elements, jarring contrast, and amateurish colour grading undermine every frame.

Outdoor scenes are garishly saturated, while indoor shots are nearly unwatchable in their darkness. This visual inconsistency renders the film unprofessional and grating.

The narrative is muddled beyond repair. Sabhapandit's indecision about focusing on parental drama or the romance results in both threads being half-baked and directionless. The lack of narrative clarity makes the entire story scattershot and ultimately pointless.

This film marks a disappointing decline for Sanjib Sabhapandit. Once lauded for sensitivity and depth, he now appears adrift—Akash Henu Nodir Naam feels severely outmoded and scattered. Any remnants of his former prowess are barely visible.

The lead actors, Kharghoria and Bora, prop up an otherwise uninspired cast. The younger performers barely register, further draining the film’s emotional core.

The film's themes are stale and overdone. Assamese cinema has already handled these stories in the recent years with films like Satya: The Truth, Xitore Xemeka Rati, and Fireflies: Jonaki Porua.

Akash Henu Nodir Naam recycles old ideas with zero originality, making it entirely extraneous and obsolete.

Releasing Akash Henu Nodir Naam at a time when the Assam Assembly Elections 2026 is just round the corner is a glaring blunder. Political distractions will wipe out any audience.

Against major commercial releases like Dhurandhar 2, this film is set to be quickly expelled from cinemas. The release strategy is self-defeating to the point of recklessness—even an opening on over 20 screens can't save it from failure.

(DISCLAIMER: This review has been submitted by a reader who has requested to remain anonymous)

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