www.cineorissa.com

75yr of Odia Cinema: ‘Odia Filmotsav’ in Delhi from Apr 15

2011-04-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, (PTI) Odia cinema with its 75 years of glorious past will be showcased at a three-day film festival here from April 15 that will treat audience to some of the celebrated works of acclaimed filmmakers from Odisha.

The 'Odia Flimotsav' at Siri Fort auditorium will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.

Nationally and internationally acclaimed films Maya Miriga, Klanta Aparahna, Adi Mimansa, Indradhanura Chhai, Jianta Bhoota, Dhauli Express, Dhare Alua, besides several documentaries like Jatra Jeevana Jeevana Jatra, Nilamadhaba will be screened during the festival.

There will be special retrospective of films of Late Pramod Pati, who is known as the father of Indian animation films.

Prominent cine director Nirad Mahapatra, filmmaker A K Bir and actor Anu Choudhury along with Union Minister of State for Chemical & Fertilizer Srikant Jena and Prafulla Samal, Odisha Minister for Information & Public Relations, will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the festival organised by Directorate of Film Festival and Institute for Promotion and Research on Odisha Culture and Heritage.

State cuisine, handloom and handicrafts would also be showcased during the film festival.

Inauguration:
15th April: 6:00 pm - Inauguration by Smt. Ambika Soni, Hon'ble Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting

Film Screening Schedule
Screenings at:12 noon, 1:30 pm, 4:00 pm and 7:15 pm
Entry : Free
Place : Siri Fort Auditorium - II, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi – 110049

16th April :
12 noon : Jatra Jeevan Jeevan Yatra (Dir: Kapilas Bhuyan/50/Col) (Documentary)
1:30 pm : Klanta Aparahna (Dir: Manmohan Mahapatra/93/Col)
4:00 pm : Dhare Alua (Dir: Saghir Ahmed/140/Col)
7:15 pm : Indradhanura Chhai (Dir: Susant Misra/10/Col)

17th April :
12 noon : Nilamadhab (Dir:Dilip Patnaik/53/Col) (Documentary)
1:30pm : Dhauli Express (Dir: Chittaranjan Tripathy/160/Col)
4:00 pm : Jianta Bhuta (Dir: Prashant Nanda/130 / Col)
7:30 pm : Adi Mimansa (Dir: A.K. Bir/130/Col)

Ollywood Bylane

2010-10-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Prashant busy with ‘Mana Mora Prajapati’
Music Director Prashant Padhi is now busy with the composition of tracks for the upcoming film of Laxmipuja production ‘Mana Mora Prajapati’. Prashant is working hard to finish the music of the film so that the shooting of the tracks will begin before the film goes to floor. Producer Anam Sahu wants to shoot the tracks first. Music composition for another film under the same banner ‘Thik Toari Pari Jhia Tie’ is in full swing. Prashant was first brought to feature films by producer Anam Sahu. Prashant started his career as a composer and singer in Bhajan albums. Then his big break came through Lakshmi Puja production’s first film ‘Nandini I Love You’. Since then Prashant has composed for ‘Mita re Mita’, ‘Dream Girl’, ‘Prem Rogi’, ‘Bhool Bujhibani Mote’ and ‘Sanju au Sanjana’. Prashant’s another film ‘Mana Khoje Manatie’ is waiting to hit screen soon.

Amrita’s Odia film debut
Don’t mistake her to be Bollywood star Amrita Arora but Mumbai based model Amrita is going to make her entry to Odia filmdom. Director Ashok Kumar will be launching this Mumbai glamour girl in ‘Mo Priya Tharu Kie Adhika Sundara’. Sharala Production is producing this film in which three heroines will be seen. Ashok has already finalized two female leads including Rashmi, but the main heroine is yet to be finalized. Priya Chaudhury is likely to be taken for this role. In male lead new comer Arnab will make his debut along with Budhaditya and veterans Mihir Das, Uttam Mohanty and Bijay Mohanty. This is second film of Sharala Production after the success of ‘E Milana Juga Jugara’. The film will go to floor in Dusherah season.

Megha’s love for Odia language
Bong beauty Megha Ghosh is on a learning spree. She is learning Odia these days and trying to grasp knowledge about Oriya culture. She will be very soon seen in her next movie ‘Most Wanted- Dead or Alive’. She will be seen opposite action star Anubhav in this film, produced by Prabhas Rout under Oscar Movies banner. Megha got her first break in Odia film by Rahat Kuddusi in ‘Love dot Com’ against Sabyasachi. Then director Sanjay Nayak again repeated this pair of Sabyasachi-Megha in ‘Sasoor Ghara Jindabaad’. Now Odia audience will be waiting to see the onscreen magic of Anubhav-Megha under the direction of Sushant Mani.

Umamani Visual’s next ‘Prema Kebe Marena’
Narayan Chandra Nayak’s Umamani Visual Creations is coming up with its next project ‘Prema Kebe Marena’. This film will be directed by Chandi Parija. Budhaditya and Aakash will be repeated in this film after ‘Sangam’ and Archita will be the lead heroine. Budhaditya is quite happy to work with Umamani Visual Creation after the success of ‘Prem Rogi’. Aakas will be seen in a dynamic character and Archita will be playing a role of multiple shades. Chandi Parija is known to be a thorough professional in his work and he goes to floor after a lot of homework. The audience is waiting to see Parija’s magic touch in ‘Prema Kebe Marena’.

Now Showing

2010-10-02T02:25:00.000-07:00

Threatre: Stutee
Film: Anjaana Anjaani
Show Time: 12:00PM 3:00PM 6:00PM 9:00PM

Theatre: Swati
Film: Robott
Show Time: 12:00PM 3:00PM 6:00PM 9:00PM

Theatre: Keshari
Film: Anjana Anjaani
Show Time: 12:00PM 3:00PM 6:00PM 9:00PM

Keshari Talkies, Bhubaneswar

[Note: This section is updated every Friday. You can also send information about movies running in threatres in your city/town in Odisha. We will be happy and grateful to add the information here]

Subash Sahoo bags National Award for best audiography

2010-09-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: No Odia film could make entry to the recently announced National Film awards for the year 2009 but the Odias still have their moment of glory as Sound Recordist Subash Sahoo grabs the best Audiography award.

Mumbai based seasoned sound recordist Subash Sahoo bagged the Rajat Kamal award under Best Audiography for the film ‘Kaminey’ for location-recording. The best audiography award went to Oscar winner Resul Pookutty for Malayalam film ‘Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja’ and Anup Dev for ‘3 Idiots’ besides Subash Sahoo.

This is Mr Sahoo’s second National Award. He was also awarded with the same fate for the film ‘Omkara’ in 2007.

Though he was worked in all sections of Sound Department, Sync Sound and location-recording seems to be his forte. He has worked for celebrated directors like Vishal Bharadwaj. He has many critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies to his credit like Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Kaminey, Khoya Khoya Chand, Manorama Six Feet Under, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Omkara, 15 Park Avenue and Mangal Pandey: The Rising.

Amitabh Bachchan won his fourth National Award as Best Actor for the film ‘Paa’ where as film ‘3 Idiots’ won the best popular film and the Best Feature film award went to Malayalam film 'Kutty Shrank'.

Best Kannada movie award went to "Kanasemba Kudureyaneri" and "Basundhara" won the best Assamese film award and best Konkani film award went to "Palatadcho Munis" and "Natarang" won the best Marathi film. For the year 2009 no Odia film could make entry to the National Awards in regional language films category.

‘Swayamsidha’ runs full house amid protests

2010-08-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Bhubaneswar: The controversial Maoist plot centered film ‘Swayamsidha’ released today to a full house audience in various theatres here amid the protests from the BJP youth wing.

According to agency reports, at least 50 activists of the BJP were arrested for disrupting the screening of the film, starring BJD MP from Berhampur Siddhant Mohapatra. The film ran full house in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. But the screening of the movie was postponed in Berhampur, Jharsuguda and Bolangir fearing the protest.

The BJP activists marched on the streets in other towns protesting release of the film. The BJP has been demanding a ban on the movie as it alleges that the film glorifies the Maoist ideology. The State Youth wing of the party had already submitted a memorandum to the Governor in this regard earlier this month.

The release of the film comes day after the Orissa High Court constituted a committee to review the film and submit a report on its possible impact by Monday. The High Court direction came following a petition filed by the BJP youth wing seeking a ban on the movie.

The committee, comprising senior police officers and lawyers, watched the premiere of the movie on Thursday amid tight security.

The actor turned politician Sidhant Mohapatra plays the role of a Maoist leader in the film.

Siddhant Mohapatra will be seen in the role of a Maoist leader Digvijay in the film. While Sunil Kumar plays the role of a journalist tracing the genesis of the movement, Bengali actress Yukta makes her Ollywood debut with the movie. Veteran lyricist-composer Swarup Nayak has scored the music for the film. BJD Lok Sabha member, Prasanna Patsani, also features in the movie in a special appearance.

Mohammed Sikandar Alam passes away

2010-08-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

Bhubaneswar: Versatile Oriya singer Mohammed Sikandar Alam Versatile Oriya singer Mohammed Sikandar Alam died at a private hospital here following a brief illness, family sources said.

He was 71 and survived by his wife and two daughters.

Alam had been admitted to the hospital with complaints of chest pain and ulcer on August 5 and he passed away late on Sunday night, they said.

Known for his devotional songs dedicated to the Hindu god Jagannath, Alam sang in more than 50 Oriya films, many devotional albums as well as Hindi ghazals.

Alam, who started his career by performing for All India Radio (AIR) at the age of 18, ably demonstrated his versatility by presenting a wide range of songs starting from Bhajanas to romantic songs with equal intensity and depth.

Recipient of many awards and honours, Alam churned out all time hits in films like Laxmi, Amada Bata, Adina Megha, Manika Jodi, Mamata, Suryamukhi and Puja.

People belonging to different strata of society, including distinguished members of the music fraternity, film industry, leaders, intellectuals, music lovers and Alam's admirers deeply mourned his death describing it as a "big loss for the state".

(Report courtesy: PTI)

Actor’s political ordeal

2010-07-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Perhaps for the first time the actor turned politician Siddhant Mahapatra is facing the heat for donning a politician garb. His forthcoming movie ‘Swayamsidha’ has entered into a political controversy for being centered on Maoist movement.

At a time when the Orissa government is struggling to contain the Maoists, the reel life enactment of a Maoist area commander by the ruling BJD’s Berhampur MP Siddhant Mahapatra has not gone down well with the opposition BJP.

Sensing a possible issue against the ruling BJD the state BJP youth wing on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to governor M C Bhandare demanding a ban on the movie and resignation of the BJD MP.
The BJP youth wing has also accused its producer and actors of glorifying the Left-wing extremists' ideology and a possible financial support by the Naxals for the making of the movie.

However, the producer of the movie, the Naxtra Media group, termed allegations baseless and this movie as an attempt to bring the extremists into mainstream.
Siddhant Mohapatra will be seen in the role of a Maoist leader Digvijay in the film. While Sunil Kumar plays the role of a journalist tracing the genesis of the movement, Bengali actress Yukta makes her Ollywood debut with the movie. Veteran lyricist-composer Swarup Nayak has scored the music for the film.

Siddhant's Parliament Dream?

2009-04-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has pitted Oriya film star Siddhant Mahapatra against seasoned Congress leader and present Union Minister of state for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Sahu from the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency. Will the actor turned politican kiss success in his electoral debut? Or the BJD has pitted a popular figure just to save face in a Congress bastion of Berhampur. Going by the conventional wisdom, Siddhant seems to be a scapegoat at this point of time.

In Orissa a saga like that of NTR, Cheeranjivi in Andhra Pradesh or MGR in Tamil Nadu seems to be far from reality. The only solace comes from actor Director Prashant Nanda, the present state president of Nationalist Congress Party. Just wait and watch how the popularity of film stars in the state converts into vote counts!

Swarup Nayak moves High Court

2008-09-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Patakur, Kendrapada: Music director Swarup Nayak recently moved to the Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a cheque bounce case after the SDJM court here rejected his bail application.
One Braja Kishore Sahu of Kalabuda area under Patakura police station in Kendrapara district filed a petition before the SDJM court against the popular music director after a cheque of 55 thousand rupees bounced twice. The court had summoned Mr Nayak to appear before it under the 138 NI Act. But Mr Nayak failed to appear before it and moved a bail application through his lawyer. The court rejected the bail application on June 5.
Braja Kishore was working with Mr Nayak since last four years. Mr Nayak had taken a loan of rupees 55 thousand from Braja Kishore for the production of a serial ‘Pushpanjali’ for Doordarshan under the banner of Sabita Cine Arts. Mr Nayak repaid the loan through a cheque of Alahabad Bank which bounced twice.

From Ollywood by-lane

2008-08-17T04:29:00.000-07:00

Rali Nanda’s leap
Newcomer Rali Nanda has something to rejoice now in the glamour by-lanes of Ollywood. The village girl in ‘Kaling Putra’ is going to rock the silver screen with the seasoned director Choudhury Vikas Das’s ‘Aila re Odia Pua’. She will be seen with Sunil Kumar, Uttam Mohanty, Chakradhar Jena, debutant Tanmay Mishra and Moon in this film.
Munna-A love story underway
Director N. Padhi is now days busy with his two films ‘Munna-A love Story’ and ‘Aa re Saathi Aa’. Anubhav, Naina, Dushmant, Romi, Rai Mohan, Mihir Das and Pintu Nanda are featuring in ‘Munna- A love Story’. This film will hit the screen next month.

Directorial debut for Jyoti Das
The new entrant in directors’ block Jyoti Das is going to call the shots with ‘To Bina Bhala Lagena’. His directorial debut is now under post production phase. Bhupinder, Sabya Sachi, George Tiadi and newcomer Rupali are featuring in this film.

Multi tasking AnubhavAnubhav is busy with multiple performances for the film ‘Don’. While he will be playing three different roles on screen he has given voice the title ‘Haata Chale Mo Besi’ off screen. He is also working as an Asst director for this film.

Album direction to feature film debutAfter creating an identity in album world Jaya Prakash Mohanty is ready to enter to the big screen world. His debut directorial venture ‘Tu Moari Pain’ is in the floor now. Lipi is playing the lead against Sabyasachi.

Hara Patanaik returnsMuch to the delight of the film industry and fans of Hara Patnaik the director and actor is back from Hyderabad to Orissa after his treatment. He reached Bhubaneswar on 8th July to a warm response of the film fraternity and well wisher all across the state. However his return to floor is not clear by as the treatment is underway.

Siddhant to call the shots soon

2008-05-29T23:27:00.000-07:00

The yester year chocolate boy of ollywood now groomed into a seasoned actor is soon going to perform the most commanding job in the Odia filmdom. Any guess! Well, the ‘sradhanjali’ debutant Siddant Mahapatra after registering a remarkable onscreen presence is now going to call the shots from behind the silver screen.

After more than hundred films to his credit and about fifteen years in the industry this crowd puller is ready with his first directorial venture ‘Kahar Kete Dum’. According his recent interview to a news website he had been planning for the project since last seven years and started working on the script last year. Now the script is ready and the hunt for the cast and crew is to be taken up very soon. Though the details about this movie are yet to be revealed still it is a ‘film with a social message’, little different from the routine action flicks of present Ollywood genre. Siddhant will be playing the lead role while a new face; most probably a non-Odia actress will fill the slot for heroine.

It is not new for Ollywood to witness actors turning directors. The industry has seen many masters of this art who have left laudable impression both on and off screen. The stalwarts on this front are Prashant Nanda, Hara Patanaik, Sarat Pujari, Samuel Sahoo (Babi da) and Gaur Prasad Ghosh. Actors like Rai Mohan, Ashru Mochan, Ajit Das, Bijoy Mohanty are also popular names for directorial job in the theatre world.

Siddhant has remained a box office trump card for the producers and hopefully his own venture would also prove to be a box office top grosser.

Let us hope the Odia audience gets a good entertainer from this one time teen sensation.

A look into the Odia film history: Ollywood So Far - I

2008-05-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

In its more than seventy years of journey since 1936 the Odia film has emerged into an industry that has undoubtedly created a space of its own in the highly competitive and volatile world of entertainment business. At a point of time when the Bollywood has started earning accolades worldwide the film industry in Orissa has grown up to become yet another heartland for showbiz in the eastern region of India besides Kolkata. Ollywood, as it is popularly known has not seen a red carpet welcome but the journey so far has been a bumpy ride leading towards a red carpet saga.

Presently decorated with many internationally acclaimed talents and state of the art technical infrastructure base the Odia film industry is ready to grow at par with the wealthy southindian counterparts. But way back in 1936 when the relentless efforts of a theatre enthusiast culminated with the first celluloid wonder in Odia, the result was obviously spectacular for Odias as well as others.

In 1936, few days after Orissa achieved its political identity, first Odia film ‘Sita Bibaha’ hit the silver screen on 28th April that year. Derived from a drama written by Kamapal Mishra the film was the brain child of Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami. Mohan Sundar with his deep knowledge in ‘Rasa Nritya’ banked on a story from the epic Ramayan of the marriage of Lord Rama and Sita. This paved the way for the Odias to have their own celluloid marvel while the art of film making had only spread from Mumbai to Kolkata and some parts of south India. If it was Dada Saheb Phalke who banked on mythological stories to give India its version of Lumiere’s magic, Mohan Sundar delivered the same to the Odias through Sita Bibah.

Sponsored by the Calcutta based Kali Film Studio the film starred Makhanlal Bannerjee and Pravabati as Ram and Sita respectively. Mohan Sunder Dev Goswami, Krishnachandra Singh, Adwaita Ballabh Mohanty and Narasingha Nandasharma were the co-artists. It was difficult to bring out the film in its final shape considering the socio economic condition of then Orissa. But Mohan Sundar was able to pump Rs 30000 and get a clearance from the Bengal Board of Film Certification for the first Odia film.

Ram Leela is a popular folk dance form in Orissa and Goswami’s artistic blend to the mythological story from Ramayan proved to be a crowd puller. The plot on spiritual ethos of the marriage of ‘Lord Ram’ with ‘Mata Sita’ decked with 14 songs appealed to the people of the ‘land of Lord Jagannath’. The songs and the mythological interpretations of a plot from the epic Ramayan were the handiwork of Mohan Sundar and Nandasharma. Being an advocate of ‘Rasa Leela’, another folk dance form of Orissa, Mohan Sundar had maintained the cultural and traditional beauty of the land in this film.

The two hour long movie first hit the silver screen at Laxmi Talkies in Puri. Then also it released at the epicenter of Odia art and culture, Cuttack at Cinema Palace. The film had created a wave within few days of its release. Mohan Sundar had got many touring assignments and in the absence of the theatre halls touring cinema camps drew a large crowd.

Blame it on the then socio-economic backwardness of the state or a lack of awareness about the appealing art of film making, only two films followed the suit almost after 15 years. As per some records a joint consortium of businessmen had produced two films between 1948 and 1950. But ity of these sources is not free from dispute. In 1951 one Ratikant Padhi produced the first Odia film with an English title ‘Roles Two Eight’.

Undoubtedly it was a slow pace of film making in Odisha but the Odia film was rich in artistic and aesthetic sense since its early days. A National Award for the film Shri Loknath in 1960 proves this. Directed by Prafulla Sengupta it was the eleventh Odia film and the first to win a President's Silver Medal.

This decade saw the resurgence of a genius in the Odia film industry. The versatile talent was Prashant Nanda, who later went on to give many box office top grossers as a director for over decades. Prashant Nanda is the only film personality from Orissa who fall in line with the legendary Satyajit Ray in terms of versatility. In a career spanning more than fourty years this master craftsman of filmmaking has left an impression in every department. From direction to screenplay writing to acting to playback singing Mr Nanda has contributed to the Odia film industry in every possible form. For his seer spirit of giving box office grossers to Odia film industry, he is often referred in as Dada Kondke of Odisha, the grand old man of Marathi Cinema who gave many hits in Hindi and Marathi.

(To be Concluded.....)

[Note: All the facts and figures have been compiled from authentic news sources. Pls inform if you notice any discipancy in this matter]

Time to Introspect

2008-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

A quote of Javed Akhtar caught my eyeballs while flipping through the pages of a book on Bollywood. The famous script writer, lyricist and poet was quoted saying – “There is one more state in this country and that is Hindi cinema. And Hindi cinema also has its own culture……..quite different from Indian culture but it’s not that alien to us. We understand it.” This directly refers to the credibility and status created by the Hindi cinema in India. At a time when the entire country is on a festive mood celebrating the spirit of freedom on the sixtieth year of independence and media is abuzz with the tale of sixty-year journey of Indian Cinema, a similar look into Ollywood seems evident. Can we claim a cult status for Odia cinema after more than seventy years of its existence!
At this point of time when the opportunities are rife, market it booming and the Odia film industry is slowly graduating to create an identity beyond the boundaries of Orissa, the industry insiders need introspection. It’s true that the very own culture of Orissa has been portrayed on celluloid in many versions over a period of time. Be it the saas-bahu saga, family as the epicenters of personal life, the changing socio economic scenario or the challenges before highly ambitious gen-next Odias, all aspects have made its presence on silver screen. Though the Odia cinema has made an entry to the ordinary life of the people of Orissa, still as an industry Ollywood is yet to emerge as the top grosser in the showbiz world. While going ahead to meet the needs of the Odia audience the film makers need to have a look into the challenges rising out of an expanding horizon of business.
Starting from ‘Sita Bibaha’ way back in 1935 to ‘Chaka Chaka Bhaunri’ in 2007, the industry has experienced a long journey, but many times mired with controversies and criticism. Imitation, stealing of ideas and lack of innovative thoughts are some of the ghosts which still prove to be a bane for the industry. Initially it was the spiritual or devotional stories from the popular tales mostly centering Jagannath that made its way into the filmdom. Then the family feud, saas-bahu sagas, breaking of joint family patterns and the gory tells of feudalism attracted the attention of movie makers. Then the stories of romancing in the park, the college going youth, challenges before the modern urbanite and complexities of the ambitious middle-class drew the laurel of Odia cinegoers till the late 1990s. But afterwards the industry seemed to be in a doldrums. With televisions making its entry into our drawing rooms the Odia films apparently failed to meet the aspirations of the young ambitious and enthusiastic Odia audience. The film industry was capable of matching the needs of the elders but failed to attract the youth. This in turn drew a flack and the result was visible in terms of copycat culture and populist approach of producers to mint easy money.
It is a good symbol that we have gone beyond the boundaries of Orissa. Bollywood names like Bharat Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Ashish Vidyarthi are making their entry into Ollywood. We have also started to recognize the potential of the filmmakers like Manmohan Mahapatra, Nirad Mahapatra, Himanshu Khatua and Sabyasachi Mahapatra—who were often cornered as art film makers even after winning several awards and international glory for the Odia film industry. We are no more rushing to Kolkata or Hyderabad for our minimum requirements rather have established the units to support our technical needs. Directors, like Hara Patanaik, are open to experiment and have created movies at par with that of Bollywood.
While keeping a track with the growing opportunities the industry insiders must not forget to establish the past glory of this more than seventy year old industry. If we can create a celluloid identity of our very own culture then perhaps we would be able to make a claim like that of Javed Akhtar by only substituting Odia Cinema in place Hindi Cinema.
Can we! If not, definitely it is the time to introspect.

Spare a thought

2008-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

The costliest director of Ollywood is facing a battle at the cost of his life. The household onscreen baddie of Odia films Hara Pattanaik, known for his directorial extravaganza, is today struggling against the deadly virus of blood cancer. He has been diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) and is undergoing treatment at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore.
At first instance it is yet another case of blood cancer. But when Hara Pattanaik is the victim of this deadly disease it is a concern for many. Almost all those people who have seen him onscreen across Orissa and West Bengal would definitely think about him for a moment. Hara is such a blessed actor that he changed the meaning of negative roles in Odia cinema and brought a new dimension to the portrayal of villain characters. Perhaps he is the most celebrated villain of Odia films after Dukhiram Swain and Vijay Mohanty. It is his powerful acting that people hate his characters onscreen. But off screen he is one of the affectionate and popular names in the film fraternity in Orissa. In his career spanning over three decades this versatile artist has tried his hand in many crafts of film making and has given some big hits to Odias both as an actor and director. Best known for his unconventional treatment of screenplay and innovations Hara Pattanaik has also launched many stars for Ollywood.
Many are not aware that Hara Pattanaik is also a popular name in the theatre world in Orissa. He is one of the highly demanded directors among the professional theatre groups and also the founder of an organization ‘Samabes’, that works for theatre and its artists.
A person, who has become a symbolic name for every odia when it comes to films, can never be an ordinary man.
Today Hara Pattanaik is in crisis and at this poignant hour all he needs is solidarity. Not the sympathy, not any big material help but yes a little thought. Already the film fraternity of Odisha has stood by him. Now it’s the time for common Odias to stand by him. Where all human efforts fail, the divine blessings show wonder. Just remember Hara Pattanaik once in your prayer. Pray for him. Perhaps the prayer of all concerned Odias will shower blessing on this brave heart in the battle of life, who has always turned challenges into opportunities in his professional life throughout.
If it seems too discriminatory or biased to appeal others to pray for a celebrity like Hara Pattanaik then just pray for all those Odias who are suffering from deadly disease. Who knows your prayer will shower blessing, may not on Hara but for some other Odia.
Just spare a thought!
Hara Prasad Pattanaik- The Ollywood man

In 1977 he started his caeer as an Assistant Director to Sisir Mishra for “Suna Sansara”
In 1982 in the film “Samaya Bada Balaban” debuted in a negative role.
He has acted in more than 70 Oriya and 12 Bengali movies.
He has directed more than 15 Oriya and 5 Bengali movies.
He is the founder of “Samabesa” an organization that promotes theatre and theatre artists.
His bi-lingual ‘Pagal Premi' was the first film by any Odia director to be released in Bangladesh.

[Note: Hara Patanaik is a known Celebrity in Orissa and a popular actor/director of Odia film industry.]