Bhubaneswar: As a tribute to veteran Odia actor late Mihir Das, OTT platform AAO NXT has released his debut feature film ‘School Master’.
The 1970s film portrays the ambitions, struggles and ups and downs in relationships among members of a middle-class family. It revolves around the head of the family, enacted by veteran actor Govind Tej, who plays the titular role of the school teacher.
The school teacher tries to imbibe the values of life in upbringing his two sons. Uttam Mohanty plays the role of the elder son who wants to become a poet and Mihir Das is the younger son, who has the ambition of becoming an OAS officer.
The story takes a turn when the father asks his sons for money to repay the loan he had taken by mortgaging their house for their education. As both sons express their inability to pay, Tej goes to stay with the elder son and his wife, played by Sujata Anand, stays with Mihir.
Unable to cope with the tantrums of their both daughters-in-law, Tej and Sujata, return to their village to find that their house has been auctioned. The man, who has purchased is the house, happens to be a former student of Tej. The role is played by Bijay Mohanty. On coming to know about the condition of the school teacher, Bijay returns the house to him.
The film is directed by Tej himself while prominent singer and musician Prafulla Kar has rendered the music.
The storyline is similar to Amitabh Bachchan-starrer, 2003 drama film ‘Baghban’ directed by Ravi Chopra, whose father B R Chopra had reportedly passed on the script to him.
Mihir Das had breathed his last at a private hospital in Cuttack city on January 11. He was cremated with full state honours at Satichaura the following day.
