Ollywood Stars Line Up At Naveen Niwas Ahead Of Dual Polls In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With senior Ollywood actors quitting BJD to join BJP, some young stars were found turning up at Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar on Friday, giving rise to speculation about their entry into the ruling party.

According to sources, popular actors, actresses and singers of Odia film industry including Babushan, Papu Pom Pom, Amlan Das, Sailendra, Aswini Tripathy, Prangya, Bhumika, Supriya, Prerana and Tariq Aziz went to Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s residence Naveen Niwas in the afternoon.

They remained confined inside the house for a long time and reportedly held a meeting with the chief minister and 5T chairman VK Pandian.

Though the Ollywood actors did not reveal much about what transpired inside the Naveen Niwas to the media, they said the meeting was about the Odia film industry and its growth.

Papu Pom Pom said it had nothing to do with election campaign or promotion of BJD. The meeting focused on the film industry, he added.

Actress Supriya said she had come on invitation from the chief minister and Pandian. There was a discussion on the steps to be taken for development of Odisha for next 10 years, she added.

Speaking in similar vein, actor and director Aswini Tripathy said, “A presentation was made on the steps taken by the government for development of Odia film industry. There was a discussion on further improvement of different aspects of the filmmaking in the state. We were also asked to submit our suggestions in this regard.”

However, the sudden visit of the Ollywood stars to the chief minister’s residence just before the dual elections in the state has led to the speculation that they may join the ruling party. Their role as glamour quotient in the party’s electioneering also cannot be ruled out.

It may be noted that senior actors of Odisha including Sidhant Mohapatra, Anubhav Mohanty, Arindam Ray and Akash Das Nayak resigned from BJD and joined the BJP recently.

Sidhant, who has been fielded by the saffron party to contest the upcoming Assembly elections from Digapahandi in Ganjam district, also targeted the government on a number of issues. He was particularly critical the way the BJD government was treating Odia language and culture.

Also Read: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, BJD Govt Neglecting Odia Language, Says BJP MLA Candidate Sidhant