Celebrating the art of filmmaking with Odia classic Sadhana

Bhubaneswar: Almost five decades after its release in 1964, Odia classic film ‘Sadhana’ was screened at Jayadev Bhawan here on Thursday.
The show was organised by city-based Film Journalist Forum (FjF) under its popular Smruti-Chhaya series in association with the Department of Culture.
On the occasion, the forum felicitated eminent personalities associated with the film. This was followed by a short documentary on actor Minaketan Das, who recently lost his battle with cancer.
The film ‘Sadhana’ was an adaptation of immensely popular Bengali writer Ashapurna Devi’s novel Chhinnapatraand. It was directed by well-known filmmaker Prabhat Mukherjee while legendary Balakrushna Dash composed its music. Actor, director, producer Sarat Pujari played the lead role opposite eminent danseuse Minati Mishra. Samuel Sahoo, Radharani Sarkar, Ananta Mohapatra and Dhira Biswal essayed important characters in the film.
Puijari was the brain behind this film that was produced under the banner of Diamod Valley Productions formed by Pujari, Manabhanjan Hota and businessman Tofan Tripathy. It was shot at various locations in and around Sambalpur
From business point of view, the film did not do well. However, it gained critical success by bagging President’s Award as the best regional cinema.

It was also appreciated by film personalities for excellent and progressive storyline, direction, music and dialogue.
Today when Odia films are being criticised as quick remake, revisiting such a classic movie with flawless performances was a wonderful experience for the younger generation.
“I was very much associated with every stage of the film, starting from song composition, shooting, dubbing, editing. At that time, we would transform into the character we played. Things have changed now, be it in Odia cinema or Hindi,” said well-known dramatist Ananta Mohapatra, who played a major character in the film.
FJF founder-secretary and well-known film historian Surya Deo said the objective behind the series is to celebrate the lost glory and legacy of the Odia cinema.
Among others, veteran actor Bijay Mohanty, singer Pranab Patnaik and Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Sanjay Das Burma were present.