The year gone by has been tough for everyone. But the Odia entertainment industry took a rather bad hit, as the
COVID-19
lockdown from March-end led to closure of cinema halls and auditoriums and film and TV shoots had to be indefinitely postponed. Let’s rewind to some of the major ups and downs witnessed this year.
NILA MADHAB’S ODIA FILM TO BE SCREENED AT IFFI
National Award-winning filmmaker
Nila Madhab Panda’s first Odia film,
Kalira Atita
(Yesterday’s Past), has been selected for screening at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa. The film, which is based on global warming and sea-level rise, is going to be screened at the prestigious panorama section of the festival along with 23 other Indian films in 13 languages.
ANUBHAV-VARSHA’S MARRIAGE ON THE ROCKSActor-turned-MP
Anubhav Mohanty filed a divorce petition in Delhi against his wife
Varsha Priyadarshini, while Varsha filed a domestic violence complaint against her husband in a Cuttack court in September. Their marital dispute has been making headlines since then.
SABYASACHI HELPS OUT MIGRANT WORKERS
2020 will be remembered for hardships migrant workers faced during the lockdown. It was during this time that
Sabyasachi Mishra helped many stranded migrant workers. He helped many reach their homes during the lockdown and provided livelihood support to others.
APSARA RANI-RGV CONTROVERSYOdia girl Apsara Rani made news after she featured in a Ram Gopal Verma film. However, the way RGV
introduced her created quite a controversy in the state. In a series of tweets, the filmmaker wrote that he knew about Odisha from the 1999 super cyclone and then he got to know about the state from Apsara. Many took offense at the filmmaker’s lack of knowledge about the state and its people.
WE WILL MISS THEM…
·National Award-winning filmmaker
Manmohan Mahapatra passed away in January, aged 69. He was also conferred with Padma Shri posthumously
·Eminent dramatist, scriptwriter and lyricist Bijay Mishra passed away in April, aged 83
·Actor, director, theatre personality and teacher
Bijay Mohanty passed away, at 70, after battling with prolonged illness on July 20
·Mohanty’s contemporary Ajit Das passed away in September. He died due to health compications after testing positive for Covid-19. He was 71
·Actress Deepa Sahu, known for her work in popular music videos, lost her battle with cancer in July. She was 35
·In November, noted filmmaker and cinematographer Raj Gopal Mishra died of a heart attack at the age of 71
·Jatra actor Mahendra Dash, who was popular as Bhiku Seth, a character he had staged in a play, died of a heart attack in September. He was 57
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