Kokoli: A Compelling Tale On Impact Of Soil Erosion In Coastal Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Award-winning documentary filmmaker Snehasis Das and powerhouse talent Gargi Mohanty have joined hands for the upcoming film ‘Kokoli – fish out of water’.

Produced under the banner of The Naked Eye in association with Ckinetics, the film reflects the displacement of the fishermen community due to soil erosion in coastal Odisha.

 “The impact of climate change has distressed people in the coastal areas. Though a love story, the film has a strong social message. To give a realistic feel, the film has been completely shot near the beach and Penthakata slums in Puri,” said Snehasis, who has earlier worked with Gargi in ‘Spandan’, based on organ donation.

The title ‘Kokoli’ derives from a sea fish of the same name, played by Gargi. “Her happiness has been ruined by calamities and her struggle is the story of the film,” added Snehasis, who is planning to send it for festivals apart from releasing it in theatres. The film’s cinematography has been done by Srikant Pattnaik while editing will be done by National Award winning Prashant Naik. The only song in the film has been taken from an earlier album of Odisha’s melody queen, Trupti Das.

“Climate change has affected many families. My love gets victimised when families shift back due to soil erosion. The struggle to get united with my lover against all hurdles makes the character stronger, which is the essence of the character,” said Gargi, whose claim to fame is ‘Krantidhara.’  Gargi has always chosen strong scripts over commercial stories.

“Good scripts have always attracted me as there is much to learn on the set. As an artiste, I want to grow with every single project,” added the actress, who discontinued the television mega serial which propelled her career, to give complete focus on the character of Kokoli.