BHUBANESWAR: ODIA film Pushkara received the Best Odia Film award at the 71st National Award ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the award on director Subharansu Das and OTV businesss head Litisha Mangat Panda.
Produced by Tarang Cine Productions, a unit of OTV Network, the film is the directorial debut of ace cinematographer Das. Starring Sabyasachi Mishra and Supriya, the film is based on writer Shankar Tripathy’s Odia novel ‘Nadabindu’ and was appreciated by both critics and film-lovers since its release in 2023.
Besides, Prasantanu Mohapatra, a cinematographer from Odisha, was awarded the Rajat Kamal for Best Cinematography in The Kerala Story, one of the most talked-about and controversial Hindi films of 2023.
Likewise, award-winning director Himansu Sekhar Khatua received a Special Mention for his The Sea and Seven Villages in the non-feature films section. The long documentary showcases the effect of climate change and its impact on the Satabhaya village cluster in Kendrapara. It depicts the life and struggle of the residents.
In the same section, director Subhash Sahoo was awarded Rajat Kamal for his Mo Bou, Mo Gaan which won in the ‘Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction/Compilation Film’ category. Sahoo also received cash reward of `2 lakh. The film is the story of ‘Seba Bou’, an elderly woman who has groomed girls reaching puberty in all those set skills that a young woman needs to become a good wife and daughter-in-law.
Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was present among others.