By Ashok Palit; In 1936, when the first odia film “Sita Bibaha” was hit the theatre, everybody thought that odia Cinema will continue its triumphant journey from now on. Moreover, revolving around the central idea of the popular epic “Ramayana”, the film made the director and producer Mohan Sundar Goswami hopeful about its success. But after its release, the producer’s hopes and aspirations were reduced to ashes.

First odia film “Sita Bibaha’s” failure became the reason for the delay of the second film’s release. After fourteen years, “Lalita” was made taking Lord Jagannath, the Odia  deity’s story in the backdrop. During the same time, odisha’s first public limited company Rupabharati came up with another film on Jagannath story called “Sri Jagannath”. While from “Sita Bibaha” to “Sri Jagannath”, the journey of odia films witnessed Puranic and spiritual themes.

It was in the 50’s that Ratikant Padhi dragged Oriya films out of the traditional puranic themes and launched himself as a hero in “Rolls Two Eight” which dealt with a socio-romantic odia cinema then traveled with spiritual, social and folklore based themes and in the 60’s witnessed the advent of parallel cinema with Nitai  Palit’s “Mala Janha” (Dead Moon) and Mrinal Sen’s “Matira Manisha”. In “Mala Janha” the female protagonist Sati is a girl from the Kuleen Brahmin family who silently loves Nath Nana. But at a very tender age, her father decides to get her married to a widower Jamindar Nara Hari who has one child. Forgetting her past, Sati starts loving the Jamindar and takes care of his family as a dutiful wife. The husband-wife duo gets estranged in a pilgrimage because of a heavy storm. Accidentally, in that fateful night, Sati meets Nath Nana who guides her to the Zamindar’s house the very next day. The arrival of Sati with a stranger creates another storm in the village society. Sati returns to her parental home with a cursed fate, accompanied by Nath Nana. But, is there any shelter for her in her own village? To pay a debt of Nath Nana’s selfless, pious love and devotion, Sati takes a dive into the river and commits suicide. On 10th December, 1965, Nitai Palit’s this thematically woven narrative scripted a new chapter in the cinematic history of Odisha.

After that, in 1966, Babulal Joshi came forward with a production house called Chhayabani to translate Kalindi Charan Panigrahi’s epochmaking novel “Matira Manisha” on to the silver screen. Initially, he requested ace Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray to direct it, but because of his busy working schedule, he turned down the offer and suggested the name of Mrinal Sen for direction. The story of “Matira Manisha” puts its foundation in an agrarian backdrop, a close knit odia family. Al though the film didn’t do well commercially yet it was critically acclaimed and got the President’s award and was screened internationally for the first time. The way “Mala Janha” and “Matira Manisha” scripted the odia film success, it didn’t get a continuation further.

 While odia cinema is almost as old as the Indian talkie itself, the art film in this state has significantly matured only over the last twenty or so years. A preoccupation with mythological and devotional themes and forms - and, one is tempted to suggest, with the box office appeal they might have been thought to have - characterizes so many of the serious films of Odisha  up to and into the seventies. Ghanashyam Mahapatra's Kanklata (1974), for example, while receding from populist mythology, remains markedly conservative in both matter and manner in its affirmation of a reminiscent Hinduism and its obvious theatricality in composition and performance. (It is, however, worthy of note that Kankklata is probably the first Oriya film to deal seriously with the Indian Freedom Movement.) Biplab Ray Chaudhuri raised incisive questions about corruption and exploitation in Oriya society in his Chilika Tire (1978), but despite the significance of its subject and its superb camera work, it was clearly made with the box office in mind, an interest that dilutes the serious intent of the work. However, both these films are important in clearly heralding the particularly fine films that would come a little later.

 It is with the advent of Manmohan Mahapatra that odia cinema might be said to have reached its apogee. Two black and white films, the first features of an immensely talented young director, stand amongst the finest works of the Indian art cinema: Sita Rati (1982) and Nirab Jhada (1984). It is in these two superb films that Manmohan sought with breathtaking effect to expose the variety of viciousness that festers behind the outward serenity of the odia village. His unsentimental humanism is reminiscent of Ray, while the artistic brilliance of his camera work, the long takes and the tantalizingly gentle pace of his films remind one of the great Keralan poet of the cinema, Aravindan, There are indeed excellent films amongst the rest of his work also, notably Klanta Aparanha (1985) and Andha Diganta (1989), but his first two films are cinematic gems.

Manmohan Mohapatra.   Continued to carry parallel cinema of the 80’s to the present time “Seeta Rati” reflects his inspiration from the New Wave Cinema which once originated in France. Drawing its narrative upon the psychology of women, this film gave birth to a new way of filmmaking in Odisha and is quite a breakthrough in cinema. The female protagonist of the film Aruna has created a respectable space for herself, breaking the medieval orthodoxy sometimes through her love and sometimes through betrayal. After “Seeta Rati” Mohapatra has dedicatedly taken the new wave cinema movement forward with “Nirab Jhada”, “Klanta Aparanha”, “Majhi Pahacha”, “Nisiddha Swapna”, “Trisandhya”, “Kichi Smruti Kichi Anubhuti”, “Agni Veena”, “Vinna Samaya” and “Muhurta” to prove his mettle   .In   “Nirab Jhada”, Mahapatra remains in the rural environment, this time depicting a universe of deprivation within the closed atmosphere of a single small village in Odisha . Long shot, a  patient and static camera ,a deliberately slow pace, capture the rhythm of the villagers lives as they go about their daily chores, a form and pace   that evolved as the director tried' :to discover-not invent" the truth of the human situation depicted in the film. Mahapatra's next venture "Klanta Aparanha" also is shot in a village.

Apparently it's a theme about how dowry problem has rendered middle class a helpless bunch. But on a retrospective mode, the director offers much more. The social alienation ably reflected by three old men who conduct the pivotal roles brings home the point about absurdities of human planning, for which foundations can be laid, but beyond which control lie completion. "Majhi Pahacha" looks into the turbulence of a young poet, in a semi urban area, caught within the quagmire of social compulsions. Birth-marriage-death trilogy is evident in Mahapatra's next, "Trisandhya" (1986) based on a joint family in odisha. Members of this joint family are to have a get-together at the death anniversary of their late father Adikanda in their village. Prior to the night of ceremony, they interact with each other on many issues. Members start forming groups basing on mutual needs and topics of similar interests. Amidst the discussions they debate on Sandhya's marriage plans and the expenditure to be incurred on the 'Shraddha' (death anniversary). And the members of the family decide that they will sell off a land by the side of the village to meet the spending.

" Nisiddha Swapna" (we may translate it as 'Forbidden Aspiration') depicts uncompromising technique in objectively observing the life of a family in an odia village, the altitude motivation, hopes and disillusionment of each one in the context to of social change of which they are all a part. " Kichi Smruti Kichi Anubhuti " expressed cinematic depiction of  the past, present and future of the psyche of representative village in odisha. " Andha Diganta" for its unemotional description of the increasing misery of a peasant who discover s his inadequacy in fighting his economic servitude and his own bourgeois attitude towards his wife’s past.. Manmohan Mahapatra's "Agni Beena" is futuristic, radical and speaks volumes of a mass revolution which is waiting. The villagers of Madhupur not only complain and crib and suffer, they also know how to raise their voice to protest or hold aloft the torch of freedom. And they enact just that in front of their village head's bungalow when the sufferings have reached a hilt and they can suffer no more. The silent can no more be suppressed and the voiceless must find a channel to express the anger. Hence the villagers get together to lodge their protest and destroy the trend of exploitation maintained by the village head. Whil "Vinya Samaya "portrays competent treatment of the corruption of modern youth in search of illusive wealth, Mahapatra's next film 
" MUHURUTA "  Set against the background of a remote village of Orissa, the film portrays a human situation in the context of a particular cultural milieu. The protagonist of the piece, Raghu, earnestly desires his only son, Somu, to take up their traditional occupation of playing the drum beside the village temple, as a service to the presiding deity. But, his wife, Malati dreams of seeing her son as a high official. In trying circumstances, Somu accepts the truth of his tradition; he plays the drum beside the temple.
 
For Raghu it is faith restored and for Somu, in a scene, it was a journey back to his roots. The existential pains and problems of a middle class family have been magically portrayed with the tone of realism in majority of Mohapatra’s films. Till now, no one can supersede the talent of Manmohan Mohapatra as far as making of odia  parallel cinema is concerned.
 
Nirad Mahapatra. Eleven years after passing out from the Pune Film Institute in 1971, with the productional assistance from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) made “Maya Miriga” (The Mirage). The narrative which deals with a broken Oriya joint family can be truly called as the Oriya alternate/parallel cinema. In “Maya Miriga” the influence of Ozu shows in the meditative pace of the film, its detached observation of family life in a small town in Odisha, the undermining of traditional structures as new ways grow at its foundations. The style is restrained, understated; medium shots and slow, lingering pans match the elegiac temper  of the subject, suggesting a nostalgic regret for a secure universe with the joint family as its centre, when relationships could be taken for granted and individuals fitted conveniently into given slots, no decisions were required, no special effort needed to be made. But bit by bit, Mohapatra bares the resentments, frustrations, stifled desires and suffocating closeness felt by those trapped in such a life, the deadening stagnation of a small town where nothing changes. The faceless unit— the extended family— is delicately picked apart to identify the individuals comprising it. No dramatic revelations, no deep psychological probing, just the varies hint that under the calm exterior lie strong emotions which, in all probability, will never be openly expressed. When the joint family does begin to split up, the collapse comes about in slow, measured degrees.  It’s last Oriya film till date at the national level which has got a second best film in national level.

In the 70’s, it was Biplab Roy Choudhury who freed himself from the traditional boundary and made film called “Cheelika Teeray” on the lifestyle of the fisher folk community of Chilika. This film raised incisive questions about corruption and exploitation in odia society but despite the significance of its subject and its superb camera work, it was clearly made with the box office in mind, an interest that dilutes the serious intent of the work.. Biplab Roy Choudhury next two film Aranya Rodana” (1993) and “Nirbachana” (1996) contribute significantly to the world of parallel cinema. While ”Aranya Rodana” concentrates on the story of a hardworking lady journalist surviving in a tribal dominated place  while Nirbachana is  stunningly controlled and uniquely cinematic metaphor of rural India an impending environmental catastrophe shows with compassion and satire.

1985 film “Hakim Babu” by Pranab Das may be considered as a middle road in odia   cinema. This  film makes a powerful comment on the  bureaucratic system which render even an idealistic officer helpless and unable to realize his own objectives. While his “Sesha Pratikshya” deals with the psychology of women in different direction, “Agni Sanket” reflects the pains and problems of an Odia joint family residing in an extremely rural locale of Odisha. There is a humanist theme which makes the presentation of this film brilliant. This film is heavily borrowed from Manmohan Mahapatra film.

 Another pioneer of the Odia Art film movement is Santunu Nishra. After Manmohan Mohapatra, he is the second filmmaker to deliver a maximum of four parallel films called “Mukti Mashal”, “Muraa Murchana”, “Aasha” and “Doora Diganta”. While in “Mukti Mashal”, the daughter of the Zamindar raises her voice against his atrocities, in “MuraMurchana”, the plot dwells with the psychology of women treated in a different direction. In Alaya Mohanty produced “Aasha”, director Mishra has given a cinematic shape to the dreams and aspirations of journalist Aasha. In “Doora Diganta”, the filmmaker has successfully spoken about the exploitation and misuse of the environment through a dumb character.

 Another frontrunner of the Odia Art Cinema is the Mumbai based famous cinematographer turned director Apoorva Kishore Bir. While his NFDC produced “Adi Mimansha” throws light on the issues of poverty and survival of a middle class family, Bir’s “Sesha Drusti” effectively portraying two generation trapped in a web –one that can’ break away from its past, the other that tries to deals with a present with no future.
Most of the Odia art films are made on a social backdrop and few of them draws their narratives from the psychology of women. In this phase, Susant Mishra’s “Indradhanu Ra Chhai”, Chakradhar Sahu’s “Nila Mastrani”, Bijay Ketan Mishra’s “Ahalya”, Dolly Jena’s “Tara”, Gouri Shakar Das and Malay Ray’s “Mokshya” and Himanshu Khatua’s “Kathantara” can be taken into consideration as remarkable pieces of work. In “Indradhanu Ra Chhai”, psychology of three generation women has been presented. One is the aged aunt Nila, second is the young widow Bijaya and the third is that of Sonia who dreams about a modern marital life. With the flow of time, some dreams are fulfilled and some shatters.
 Based on a story of famous novelist Prativa Ray “Mokshya” depicts the hurdles and conflicts faced by the protagonist Soshi who shuttles between her own dreams and romantic aspirations and the values and ideas of her family. Soshi may have got salvation as a symbol of virtue after her death, but the desires of a woman have been crushed under the value system of the society. In the field of realistic cinema, two movies on women which draw maximum attention are “Nila Mastrani” Based on a story of Godabarisha Mohapatra, this film can be categorized in a culture-specific framework, for it makes the brave attempt to put an axe over the tradition and questions the ideals of a convention driven society. On the other hand, “Ahalya” doesn’t reflect revolt, but documents the silent pains and agonies. Like the Puranic character Ahalya, she too takes a silent mode to negotiate with life for survival. All throughout the film, Ahalya speaks only once, yet she is the lead character. That is the uniqueness of this film based on a story of Laxmi Priya Acharya.

Himanshu Khatua’s “Kathantara” is made on the backdrop of the super cyclone in Orissa. Kalpana, a witness of the fury of the super cyclone meets a Bangladeshi journalist. Despite a touch of intimacy, Kalpana retains her attraction towards her homeland; she cuts the thread of aristocracy and desire and returns homeward. While watching the film, a viewer may recall “Manika” of Prasant Nanda’s “Sesha Sravana” fame and consider this character to be the next incarnation, yet Kalpana leaves an impression of being an influential and powerful character. The film is undoubtedly a successful representative of the portrayal of the chaotic and furious cyclone that took life away from Orissa. But, there is a mark of paucity in execution, if we take into consideration, Himanshu Khatua’s earlier film “Sunya Swaroopa” based on the Mahima religion in Orissa. Sunya Swaroopa” is notable for a remarkable absence of dialogue and, an exceptionally minimal plot, exploiting with memorable effect the characteristically visual aspect of cinema to depict the tensions evident in contrasting elements.

Dolly Jena’a “Tara” reflects the intricacies of women psychology in a brilliant fashion. In the guise of Tantra practice, the female character has been subjected to her husband’s atrocities, forcing her to conclude that all the men have a chauvinistic attitude towards women. Men are more attracted towards women bodies than their hearts, whenever they get a chance; the animal within them gets excited to enjoy the female body.

 In Odia parallel cinema, another significant direction is child psychology. In this frame, Apoorva Kishore Bir’s “Lavanya Preeti” and “Nandan”, Raju Mishra’s “Laxmi Ra Abhisara”, Subash Das’s “A Akare AA” and Gadadhar Puty’s “Puja Pain Phula Tiye” can be taken into consideration. LavanyaPreeti deals with subtle and delicate exposition of the growing up process from childhood to adolescence through the use of myths and striking visuals while Nandan  (1998)portrays  the aspiration of a poor child and the constraints of his parent s in fulfilling them. The triumph of family values and love over material glues has universal appeal. Laxmira  Abhisara" based on a short story by the famous writer Manoj Das and directed by ace filmmaker and cinematographer Raju Mishra. It revolves round a sweet little girl who in her innocence is closer to God than all those who project themselves as great devotees. Subas Das projected another very sensitive issue — the drudgery and defeatism of modern education system in ``Aw re Aakare Aa" made only in 2003. The protagonist Mini grows up to be a schoolteacher and dares to change the conventional system of children education on her own,Puja Paeen Phoolatie based  an emotion portrayal of the bonding and generosity  of children.

In the world of odia parallel cinema, another successful maker is Prafulla Mohanty. Mr. Mohanty’s “Bhanga Silat” has got Manjula Kuanr the best supporting actress award at the national level for a startlingly realistic portrayal of an exploited illiterate woman who lives like a hunted animal, trapped in to accepting her ultimate fate. In the later time, he has given a cinematic shape and texture to Godabarish Mohapatra wide read story “Maguni Ra Sagada”. With the flow of time and progress in civilization, how Sagada (bullock cart), the most important transport of yester years in the villages becomes a useless product, is the internal echo of this film. The film, produced by the National Film Development Corporation. Despite proving his directorial credentials with “Dhare Aluo”, Sagir Ahmed has not been able to progress further. In  this film  a drum beat is used thrice with  varying intensity, first when Sumitra symbolically supports her husband’s  ideology, second when Hemant begs for Lalit’s  forgiveness thereby openly subjugating himself ,third  when Panchanan sees Hemant courting arrest in place of Lalit,Social altruistic sensibilities dawn on people at such crucial moments.

 Sabyasachi Mohapatra has added a new chapter in the history of Odia parallel cinema with the making of artistically ``Bhukha" is the only film in Sambalpuri, a dialect of western Orissa. Dealing with the life of the poverty-stricken folk drummers known as bajaniya.. The leader of this community is Aintha who plays trumpet in marriages and thread ceremonies. The lead performer’s role has been essayed by famous national actor and director Sadhu Meher. After that, Sabyasachi has made a film called “Jhili” on the Paraja community of Koraput district in Odisha. Both the films didn’t do well commercially, but managed to grab appreciation at the national and international level.

If judged at a larger level, the success of Odia parallel cinema of the 80’s has got a stoppage in the present time. The first and the foremost reason behind it is the lack of governmental interest and patronage. In the past, many successful art movies were made with the monetary assistance of either the National Film Development Corporation or Orissa Film   Development Corporation. Now, the Orissa Film Development Corporation   has become defunct. Other than that, two three film societies which are still running, prefer foreign films for organizing film festivals, and have never given a serious thought to take Oriya parallel cinema into account. Moreover, theatre halls, which play a significant role in taking an art film to the wider audience’s viewership has failed to do it. The couple of film critics and analysts who have familiarized Odia parallel cinema to the reader, both at the state and at the national level, the government have always neglected them, whereas, those who have not written a single line about Odia cinema at the national level are controlling the governmental cinematic administration and policies. This is another paradox encircling the Odia parallel cinema. In the 80’s, those producers and directors, who gave Odia parallel cinema a new leash of life, are now left neglected. But, directors with one or two films are now the dearest sons of the government. This is what is dragging the fate and future of Odia parallel cinema into darkness.

Another weak point of the Odia parallel cinema is the limitation of theatrical release, for which the common audience never gets an opportunity to know about them. The most tragic fact is that, among the odia   art cinema Maya Miriga, Mukti Masal, Dhare Alua, BiwaPrakash and Kathantara have a theatrical release. Has the Orissa government ever given it a serious thought to proceed further in a constructive way, to lend a helping hand to   odia new wave cinema?