‘Suryamukhi:’ Reminiscing The Golden Days Of Odia Cinema

Bhubaneswar: Revisiting Odia classic ‘Suryamukhi’ (1962) was a wonderful experience all together. The screening of the film organised by city based Film Journalist Forum (FJF) after five decades of its release refreshed the memory and reminded the lost glory and legacy of Odia cinema.

“This was my first film and I did not know anything about acting. I did a dance performance in ‘Jayadev’ which was not released by that time. I did whatever the director asked me to. I am delighted to revisit the film once again after so many years. The producer, director, music director and co-artistes worked as a family,” said veteran actress-dancer Minati Mishra whose stunning dance performance in ‘Arundhati’ had received National Award in 1967.

In fact, Minati Mishra and Sarat Pujari starrer ‘Sadhana’ reflecting a progressive storyline, had also received National Award in 1964.

At a time when Odia cinema is being criticised for quick remakes, watching the fine-tuned filmmaking ability with no modern equipment is a learning in itself, said film critic and founder FJF, Surya Deo. The film had received President Award in Best Regional Film category in 1963. The scintillating music composed by Shantanu Mohapatra rendered by melody queen Lata Mangeskar, Manna Dey, Pranab Patnaik, Nirmala Mishra and Sikandar Alam remains all-time classics.

“Though my character did not have much screen presence, but it gave a twist to the story. We used to transform into the character on set”, said veteran dramatist Ananta Mohapatra.