Written by: Kaushik Nath
Assam’s film calendar for 2026 has gained a significant addition. The Assamese feature film Postcard is set to release across Assam on July 31, featuring the late Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya, one of the region’s most formidable artists.
The film is directed by Sourav Baishya, widely known as Raja, a filmmaker who has built a reputation across multiple formats. He started out as a wedding filmmaker and photographer before making the shift to independent cinema, a transition backed by a Diploma in Image Animation from Annamalai University, Chennai. His portfolio includes TV serials, short films, and three Assamese feature films. He also directed the web series Nyay, which was released on the Reeldrama OTT platform. With Postcard, he steps into more personal territory, presenting a film that doubles as a tribute to a performing arts icon.
The heartbeat of Postcard is Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya. For anyone familiar with Assamese cultural history, the name needs no introduction. He was a radio artist, actor, and director whose influence stretched well beyond the stage and studio. His portrayal in the radio play Parashuram, broadcast from Guwahati Radio, made him a household name across the region. He was among the rare Indian artists who formally studied stage performance, film, and television in London, bringing back a craft sharpened by world-class exposure.
His contributions did not stop at performance. In the mid-1960s, Bhattacharya founded the Assam National Theatre, an institution that became a cornerstone of serious theatrical work in the state. He was a builder of spaces where others could also grow and hone their craft.
Having him on screen in Postcard makes the film as much a document as it is a story. Audiences will watch a man whose career spanned decades and continents, whose voice once filled living rooms through the radio, and whose theatrical vision helped shape an entire generation of Assamese artists.
Complementing the film’s emotional tone is the music composed by Tarali Sharma, a name that carries its own weight in Assamese music circles. A strong score can carry a film’s silences as much as its words, and having Tarali Sharma on board suggests that the makers understand that balance.
Postcard can be seen as an opportunity for audiences to witness Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya on screen one more time, following Khyonachar, which was also directed by Sourav Baishya. It does so through a medium that preserves what time cannot. For Assamese cinema, and for everyone who values what this artist meant to the region, this July release is one worth marking on the calendar.