The Man Behind the Sound: Remembering Aribam Shantimo Sharma

Imphal: Cinema remembers its directors, celebrates its actors and applauds its stories. Yet, behind every memorable film lies the work of those whose names rarely command the same attention, though their contribution is woven into every frame. Aribam Shantimo Sharma was one such craftsman. He worked largely away from the spotlight, but his art helped give Manipuri cinema a voice that continues to resonate across generations.

Image: Aribam Shantimo Sharma during the shooting of Mayophygee Macha in Ukhrul in 1993

He gave films their voices, their silences, and their emotional depth. With the passing of the veteran audiographer, Manipuri cinema has lost not just a craftsman of rare skill, but a quiet custodian of its cinematic memory.

Image: Aribam Shantimo Sharma receives a citation for the Hon'ble Governor of Manipur, Shri La. Ganesan as a Pioneer of Manipuri Cinema during the year-long Golden Jubilee Celebration of Manipur Cinema in 2022

With his passing on 27 September 2026, after a prolonged illness, Manipuri cinema has lost an accomplished audiographer, a dedicated professional and a gentle presence in its filmmaking community. For those who knew him, particularly the generations of filmmakers who worked alongside him, the loss is deeply personal. For the industry, it marks the departure of a craftsman whose contribution cannot be measured merely by the number of films he worked on.

Shantimo Sharma's professional journey spanned more than three decades, during which he worked on 41 films—22 non-feature and 19 feature productions. His association with the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), formerly the Manipur Film Development Corporation (MFDC), lasted two decades. He was not simply an employee of the institution; he was among those who helped build its filmmaking culture, contributing his technical knowledge and professional commitment to the development of Manipuri cinema.

His work on Ishanou (1990), directed by the legendary Aribam Syam Sharma, remains among his most celebrated contributions. The film, which received international recognition and was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, later found a renewed place in world cinema through its presentation in Cannes Classics in 2023. While the film's artistic achievement belongs to the collective vision of its makers, Shantimo's contribution as audiographer was an essential part of the cinematic experience that travelled beyond Manipur and introduced the world to the emotional and cultural textures of Manipuri life.

Image: Aribam Shantimo Sharma during a film shooting in his yonger days

His long creative association with Aribam Syam Sharma extended well beyond Ishanou. Together, they worked on numerous feature and non-feature films, including works that documented Manipur's cultural traditions, indigenous practices, landscapes and social realities. From Keibul Lamjao National Park, Koro Kosi to Yelhou Jagoi, The Marams and Kangla, Shantimo's work helped preserve not only the sound of cinema but also the sounds of a society and its heritage.

This is perhaps one of the less acknowledged dimensions of his contribution. Audiography is often treated as a technical discipline, but in documentary filmmaking, sound is also a form of historical preservation. The rhythm of a traditional performance, the resonance of a ritual, the ambience of a landscape, or the cadence of a human voice can carry memories that images alone cannot. Through his work, Shantimo became part of an enduring record of Manipur's cultural life.

His professional journey was not confined to one generation or one creative circle. He collaborated with filmmakers such as K. Ibohal Sharma, Oken Amakcham, Makhonmani Mongsaba and Sunzu Bachaspatimayum, among many others. His ability to work across different cinematic sensibilities and production environments established him as one of the most sought-after audiographers in Manipuri cinema.

Among his notable collaborations was with Sunzu Bachaspatimayum on Monpas of Arunachal, a documentary produced by Aribam Syam Sharma for Films Division. It was the only 35mm project undertaken outside of Manipur, making Shantimo's contribution to the production a distinctive chapter in his professional journey.

Such a reputation is not built overnight. It grows through years of reliability, technical understanding, patience, and an instinctive grasp of what a film requires. In an industry where resources have often been limited, and filmmakers have had to work with considerable constraints, professionals like Shantimo were indispensable. They were the dependable hands who helped transform creative ambition into cinematic reality.

His foundation in the craft was equally serious. A graduate of Manipur University, he received professional training in sound engineering at the Film Centre of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Kolkata, and in sound recording at India Film Lab, Kolkata. He also participated in workshops on film editing, film appreciation and scriptwriting organised by the then MFDC and other institutions. His professional development reflected a commitment to understanding cinema beyond the confines of his immediate technical responsibility.

Yet, perhaps the most meaningful measure of a person's contribution lies not in professional credentials or filmographies, but in the relationships built along the way. Those who worked with Shantimo remember a man whose work spoke louder than his presence. He belonged to a generation of film professionals who understood that cinema was a collective endeavour, where every department, every technician and every contribution mattered.

The passing of such individuals also invites a larger reflection on how we remember our cinema. We celebrate the films that survive, the awards they win and the recognition they receive internationally. But the people who made those achievements possible are often remembered only when they are gone. Their stories, their craft and their experiences deserve to be documented with the same care that we extend to the films themselves.

Shantimo Sharma's life is a reminder that the history of Manipuri cinema is not written by directors and actors alone. It is also written by cinematographers, editors, audiographers, technicians and countless others whose names may not always appear in the headlines but whose work gives cinema its life.

He leaves behind a body of work that will continue to speak for him. Every film he helped shape, every cultural memory he helped preserve, and every filmmaker who benefited from his experience forms part of a legacy that time cannot easily erase.

In the end, perhaps the most fitting tribute to an audiographer is to remember that sound does not always disappear when the source falls silent. It lingers—in memory, in emotion and in the spaces between words.

Aribam Shantimo Sharma may have departed, but the sound of his contribution to Manipuri cinema will endure. Waari Singbul extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and the entire Manipuri film fraternity.

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