Aye, tu momo bechta hai kya?
If you’re from the Northeast of India living in Delhi, there are very high chances that you have been told this at least once (as a ‘joke’ of course). AXONE – an upcoming movie on the lives of Northeastern people residing in other areas of the country, tackles with this issue; but in the most fun manner possible.
The trailer shows very specific struggles of people from the region, with respect to finding a house, respectful landlords and freedom to follow their traditions, a particularly prevalent issue among the community.
From the looks of the trailer, the movie seems to be about a group of friends planning to cook a traditional Northeastern dish axone for their friend’s wedding. Pronounced as akhuni, the dish is made from fermented soybean and is used with vegetables or meat to make stew.
And this is where the problem starts. The North-Indian landlords get agitated by the smell of it and won’t have them cook it in the house they have given to them on rent. As is often the case, a lot of us enjoy Northeastern delicacies but don’t want much to do with their preparation.
Now, their arguments are obviously laced with racial stereotyping. For instance:
And, well…
However, these are not the youngsters to take such insults.