Real-life Crime Incident Promises To Be A Thriller On Screen

Bhubaneswar: Ollywood starlet Anu Choudhury has been keeping busy with the shooting of ‘Patnagarh 23 Feb 2018’. The sets for the bilingual real-life crime thriller were recently put up at Khandapada Palace in Nayagarh.

Anu shared some pictures of the shooting on Instagram. She has been paired opposite National Award winning actor Atul Kulkarni, who is essaying the role of Inspector General of Police (Crime Branch) Arun Bothra.

“It was a pleasure working with Atul ji. There was so much to learn from him. Though I do not have much screen space, our reel chemistry will be there for all to see,” said Anu, speaking to Odisha Bytes.

The film, based on a real-life incident is turning out to be a star-studded affair, while setting high standards for the Odia film industry. To be released in Odia and Telugu, it is being directed by another National Award winner, Rajesh Touchriver. Manoj Mishra, who has also carved a niche in Bollywood playing the bad guy, will be seen as Punjilal, and Chinmay Mishra as Soumya.

Anu further said that the director is very particular about the look of the characters. “No lipstick, was the first thing he told. My look in the film is simple yet elegant,” she added.

The title of the movie was changed from ‘Bullet Raja’ to ‘Patnagarh’ to connect the audience with the real incident.

On February 23, Soumya Sekhar Sahu (26) and his grand aunt Jemamani Sahu (85) were killed and his wife Reema (22) sustained injuries in a parcel bomb explosion at their home in Patnagarh. It took Odisha Crime Branch almost a month to crack the sensational crime with the arrest of Punjilal Meher, a 46-year old English professor, who, it claimed sent the wedding gift over a professional rivalry with Soumya’s mother.

“Manoj convinced his friend and one of the finest actors Atul ji for the police officer’s role. He fits into the character perfectly. Manoj is also an actor par excellence and the audience will love to see him in a new avatar,” said producer Sridhar Martha.

Sharing his views on his new look, Manoj said, “I am sporting a clean-shaved look for the first time. I hope that the movie earns appreciation beyond regional boundaries.”

Martha said that perfect execution of the incidents, with some commercial elements without deviating from the seriousness of the content, was the toughest part. “It required careful handling of every relationship involved in the incident without hurting anyone’s sentiments,” he said.

Martha said the film doesn’t intend to show anyone as a villain. “The director is making all out efforts to depict the crime and investigation part of the story in detail,” he added.

Almost 75 per cent of the shooting has been completed and the film is slated for Durga Puja release.