Every morning in a quiet colony called Salem in Lunglei, Isaac Isaak Chhakchhuak, gets ready for a long day that sometimes begins at dawn and ends at 9 pm. The 20-plus is doubling up as a manager, administrator for a restaurant that his mother began in Lunglei, one of the eight districts of Mizoram. From just a little shack it is now a full-fledged 50-cover eatery that is slowly becoming a local favourite and locals are beginning to count on them for catering food in almost all of their big events. Be it weddings, anniversaries, birthdays or social functions, it is Isaac’s catering that makes an event worthy. But then, this is the only thing that Isaac is doing. He is in fact one of the most known faces in Mizoram -- being one of the few film stars in a state that has hardly had a history on the silver screen. Isaac has acted in four movies (Damna Kim (2017), Norah (2019), Pindan Chhungril (Short film about the current pandemic (2020) and, Beyond (again a short movie (2020), and it is a great deal to have had that platform considering the lack of opportunity.

The first Mizo film was made in 1983: a love story called Phuba, made by Biakthan Sanga. Only a handful of feature films have been made ever since.

Isaac Isaak Chhakchhuak

Korean shows dubbed in Mizo, which swamp local cable time slots, have especially gained immense public popularity over the years. In the early 2000s, the Ekta Kapoor-hit Hindi show "Kasautii Zindagi Ki" was the talk-of-the-town -- translated scripts of its newest episodes being one of the most awaited pieces of monthly magazine Lengzem. The cultural phenomenon ushered in the thriving dubbing industry of today that releases Mizo-dubbed TV shows and movies which originate from foreign countries including Turkey, Korea, Japan and Thailand.

While there is a gaping hole in the number of locally-made movies, the colourful history of the Mizo viewer is one that shows immense potential for a booming local film industry. It’s not that the Mizos won’t watch movies but the fact is, there are very few local films made for the public. Filmmaking in Mizoram is not a profit-making venture. If you are a business-minded person, this is certainly not a career for you". His 2010 drama "Khawnglung Run", received love from the masses and critical acclaim -- it went on to have a screening in the Goa International Film Festival. Khawnglung Run also incurred a loss of 3 lakhs -- highlighting the greatest hurdle for a struggling Mizo film industry. Financial constraint remains an issue for filmmakers in the state - they have often voiced their hopes in governing bodies and other sources for allocation of funds and steady support for their ventures. The struggle persists. And Isaac knows that while acting may be a passion, it cannot be a fulltime job.

Dearth of work means most of those in the Mizo film business would struggle to make ends meet without a side business.

Isaac’s resume also extends beyond film. Running a restaurant is no mean feat. He is realising this from experience -- namely, ever since he took up what his mother started as a small unit of selling home cooked food, and watched it become a full fledged restaurant and catering unit. He is hardly left with time in his hands -- even to give an interview it has to be only after 9 pm. That is when he is done with his day job of running the restaurant and long left to retire at home.

The NE Stories chats with Isaac...

Isaac's artistry is a culmination of three forms of art - culinary, film and music. The seeds of creativity were sown within the family

Isaac himself grew up in a joint family, with his grandparents and siblings around. While his grandfather was a student in Shillong, he was a radio artiste and sang. His father, a government servant, was also a part of a musical band back in the day. One of his three sisters proved her mettle as early as three – that's when she was already singing in church. Today, his sister Lalrinsangi is a known name in the gospel musical genre who travels all over Europe to sing. Born in a creative and musically-gifted family, it is only natural for Isaac to inherit those traits. Although not a professional, he learned to play the drums without any formal training, and gives his father credit for introducing him to the instrument saying "In the beginning, my father simply taught me the beat and rhyme. I was in Class 6 when I started playing. In class 11 or 12, I was part of the band that represented Mizoram and won third place in a Northeast rock band competition. Shillong stood first and Nagaland second.”

When asked about his seemingly strongest suit, acting, Isaac goes back to his first acting job. In 2017, Isaac was invited to play a role in a short film named Damna Kim. This was a gospel movie initiated by a Christian Youth organisation under BCM. Isaac was instantly eager to join this youth project, knowing it would provide him first-hand experience in acting -- which was something that had always piqued his interest. Based on a gospel scripture, he played the role of a father to the protagonist. In the story, he abandons his daughter, who is born out of wedlock, as he fears social ridicule. Despite it being a small project, the challenging role paved the path of recognition for the budding actor. The movie was shown in different parts of the state, and people started recognising him. This was enough to make Isaac realise that he had what it takes.

For the Leitlang Picture Studio, a Mizoram-based studio, Nora, filmmaker Mapuia invited Isaac to play the role of the leading man in this love story - for which the plot was borrowed from a Western movie, It happened one night. Shot in Lunglei over four months, this Mizo remake has been filtered to fit their respective society's standards. The story revolves around a young woman who leaves her father's home to escape the monotony. Along the way, she meets Isaac's character, who has just received his education and is on the job hunt. As any classic romance goes, the two characters hate each other at first but end up falling in love towards the end.

Isaac did not choose acting. Rather, acting chose him.

“Acting is not something I had dreamt of when I was growing up. As such, getting into it was more of a chance than a deliberate one. Like I said, my first project happened only because I was asked by the church organisation which I thought was a privilege.” Isaac studied Social Work at Mizoram University in 2016, before he chanced upon his first movie stint. However, watching action movies as a kid might have fuelled his acting ambitions in some ways. "I grew up watching a lot of Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie, better known by his stage name - Jet Li. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movies were also a rage back in Mizoram back in the day," he says with deep admiration for these classic action heroes. Adrenaline-pumped action is his go-to - it brings him relief from the Mizo romances that, Isaac feels, have been recycling the same story lines since the beginning. However, the Bollywood cult-classic Kutch Kutch Hota Hain still reigns in his heart.

The world is indeed a stage for this actor. Even without acting, he takes up different roles...

With masters in Social Work, Isaac's degree is what sustains him presently. Soon after completing his masters from Mizoram University, Isaac found work in a project under Tata Trust in Rural Development – in a project called Integrated Livelihood Promotion. Far from the glitz and glamour usually associated with the film world, his other project focused on piggery in rural areas. Isaac reveals that his work entailed distribution of material for rearing pigs, and spreading awareness on proper ways of constructing pigsties to families. Apart from being called away to the rural areas all year round, Isaac had also served as a guest lecturer in HATIM (Higher and Technical Institute of Mizoram) in Lunglei.

Isaac plays several roles just within his family's restaurant and catering business. In between customers, he even manages the accounts and administration of the 50-seater restaurant that remains open through lunch and dinner. An amazing feat for anyone, especially since the restaurant sits in a commercial hub between offices and a bazaar.

Finding time for health and fitness between jobs and roles…

"I give a lot of importance to my health - I do not take my fitness for granted." When asked about his fitness regimen. Talking about his simple home-gym setup, the busybody shares tips to remain fit through it all: "The equipment in my home gym may not be like a normal gym, but it serves the purpose for my fitness goals. I work out for at least one to two hours from Monday to Saturday but I may skip some sessions when I get caught up with some work." Music is a great motivator and keeps him through sessions of pumping iron. “Music is a part of my life” he says. Not limited to workouts, Isaac tunes in to music while dressing up, eating, driving or working in the restaurant.

While acting came to him by chance, could acting ever be his only choice?

"It is not possible to make a living out of acting in movies in Mizoram. Perhaps, if things change and evolve in this particular sector in the next ten years, it might be possible." Isaac says with hope for the future. He posits a case of how making a living from a film career in Mizoram is out of the question: for the movie Nora – he was paid about Rs 20,000 for the entire movie. Needless to say, he does not consider acting a full time job. "It has to be a hobby as it cannot sustain one’s livelihood," he says, as he throws light on the industry.

“There are talented directors but funding film projects are tough and get enough funding and mostly producers are wealthy people of Mizoram – they are mostly business people and we hardly get anything from the government to encourage the sector,” he says. While Aizawl has a few dedicated cinema halls, most cinema halls across Mizoram are not exclusively for screening movies. Rather, they would fill-the-bill for multi-purpose halls - a probable hint to the priority and funds allocated to the film industry of the state.

Ever optimistic in his approach, Isaac insists on carrying on the struggle. He might even consider another acting gig if a good opportunity presented itself. His hesitancy in taking any potential movie roles comes from the risk it would mean for his family. But this Renaissance man has us believing he passes up very few roles with élan.

Story Partner: Media9