Arjya Patnaik gives an overview of Oriya films as the industry celebrates seventy-five years of its inception.
Regional cinemas are the essence of the Indian film industry. Some of the best Indian films are made in regional languages. And without doubt, Oriya Cinema has been one of the major contributors among regional cinema space. In spite of being counted among the poorer states of the country, the regional film industry is celebrating seventy five glorious years of its existence. The journey has not been easy so far. Yet, Oriya film industry has been able to carve a niche at the national level in the recent past. More importantly, the Oriya film industry sustains several thousands of technicians and workers, being their only means of employment.
The first Oriya film that saw the light of the day was Sita Bibaha’ in 1934. It is cherished more than just for the sake of nostalgia. Its history is food for thought for the connoisseurs of cinema for more reasons than just the fact that it was the first ever film made in Oriya. The movie was subjected to Bengal Board of Film Certificate. Nobody can claim the film to be a flawless venture. But the very fact that it was the first such venture in the last 73 years of Oriya cinema suffices for it to be termed commendable.
Post Sita Bibaha’, there was a gap of twelve years lacking any production of Oriya films. ‘Lalita’ released in 1948-49. The films by then were highly dependent on the infrastructure of the Bengal film industry. When Mrinal Sen shot Matira Manisha’ in Orissa back in 1967, his example encouraged, in parallel with the growth of Oriya film societies, an awareness of ‘serious’ filmmakers; whereas ordinarily most of the films of Orissa were constituted by a majority of family melodramas or mythological films. In 1975, creation of the Orissa Film Development Corporation encouraged the construction of cinema halls. And in 1981, Kalinga studio was founded, the first local cinematographic complex near Bhubaneswar, which freed Oriya cinema from resorting to the studios of Chennai (then Madras) which had since long ousted those of Kolkata (then Calcutta) in Oriya motion picture production.
It is pertinent to realise that nearly 75 years and more than four hundred films after, the Oriya cinema is still waiting for a ‘new wave of sorts to lap on its shores. It has been clearly outpaced by other regional categories such as Bengali, Malayalam, and even Assamese cinema. However, it is not as if Oriya cinema has so long remained an innocent virgin and not experimented at all. Films like ‘ Amada Bata,’ Mala Janha’, ‘ Ka, Indradhanura Chhai,’ etc. were bold ventures of their times and emerged as cult movies. But if the new wave means new directors, low costs and non star movies, then the ground was fairly broken in 1983 by Nirad Mohapatra’s ‘ Maya Miriga’. The film turned out to be the first Oriya film to win a National Award.
Since then, the journey of Oriya films has continued through several ups and downs. The cinema industry in Orissa has been subjected to several issues. There is a lack of financial support from the government. Biopics and flicks inspired by celebrated literary work are few and far between.
Senior journalist Adikanda Rout comments, “The producers are just interested in profit. They feel that a tried screenplay will work better at the box office. Moreover, an Oriya film is made within a period of six months. Hardly any time is given to a writer for conceiving or developing on original screenplay. So they pick up stories of other regional films or Bollywood flicks and remake them in Oriya.” An absence of serious filmmakers, and influx of ‘fund providers’, whose sensibility is still not clear, is proving detrimental. Poor condition of cinema halls, competition from Operas, television serials and cable operators has an ecliptic effect on the growth of Oriya films. Video piracy is another bottleneck for Oriya cinema to move ahead. Also limited viewership and lack of sustainability of the production house are the roadblocks for Oriya cinema. Natural calamities pose great danger too. The super cyclone of 1999 left the Ollywood industry shaken to irreparable extent.
But the Oriya film fraternity has not given in to circumstances. The efforts made by Oriya filmmakers have received public encouragement. Oriya cinema provides wholesome entertainment to the local audience. Oriya film industry is technologically sound. “Cinematography shall be completely digitised. Direct digital images or analogue images converted to digital form shall be used. Also, there shall be a boom in the number of technicians in the industry,” remarked Surendra Kumar Sahoo (Cinematographer & Exprincipal, Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute of Orissa).
There is a good market for Oriya films in Orissa. A few path-breaking films in the recent past have made the quoted cliché about the industry dying out of desperation seem far away as always. The film ‘I love you ‘ (2004) was a huge box office hit. It began the trend of love stories in Oriya films and enticed the youth of Orissa back to the theatres. Rajshri Productions released its first Oriya venture, Sasughara Chalijibi,’ has opened avenues for other big production houses to invest in Oriya films. Also, the Oriya film Jai Jagannath’, based on the ancient scripture Lakshmi Puran was shot in Oriya and Hindi, was dubbed into thirteen different languages. Directed by Sabyasachi Mohapatra, this film was financed and released all over India by Bollywood fame Bharat Shah.
Recent developments have helped to strengthen the stand of the Oriya film industry too. The Government has exempted entertainment tax, making it easy for producers on the financial front. Kalinga studio has been partially privatised leading to its renovation. Advanced dubbing and sound recording studios have been set up there for the ease of filmmakers so that they do not have to seek refuge at studios located in Mumbai or Chennai. Private associations of artistes, technicians and producers have been formed to address the grievances, giving the industry a professional dimension. Numerous award ceremonies are being organised by different organisations boosting new talent.
“I feel that the film industry will develop a lot in the next two to four years. More number of films shall be made. The technology used will also be more advanced,” says actor Anubhav Mohanty, whose debut film ‘I love you ‘ has helped attract the youth to cinema halls. The multiplex culture is to permeate into Orissa very soon. The future prospects look bright. An element of optimism lies in the activities of a good number of film institute graduates, well exposed to the language of cinema, making ripples if not waves in the waters of Ollywood lately. The language of Oriya cinema can attempt to be an effective communication tool for social and cultural integration I love you’ with attractive entertainment value in Orissa.
