India’s five-decade-old famed filmmakers - Prasad Productions - have a special gift for the Oriya film viewers for the New Year. It would release Dream Girl, its third Oriya venture, on January 25. Known for making low budget but popular films in Oriya and Bengali, producer Ramesh Prasad, son of the legendary LV Prasad, seems happy over his past experiences with the Oriya film industry - Pagal Premi - being his last successful experiment.
Prasad has roped in young director Ashok Pati for the film and Pati has opted for his favourites - dialogue writer Rajani Ranjan, music composer Prasant Padhi and cinematographer Sitanshu Mohapatra - with whom he had teamed up for his film Nandini, I love You.
Ollywood’s most successful romantic hero Sabyasachi, who debuted in Prasad’s Pagal Premi, is cast against Bhubaneswar- based television anchor turned actress Priya who makes her debut with Dream Girl. ‘‘She has all the attributes that I was looking for in the portrayal of the crucial character,’’ remarked the director. The film’s strength, however, lies in its comedy, says Pati. ‘‘Instead of having specific actors and characters for comedy, we have involved almost all the cast in the comic sequences,’’ he hints. The film does not have a conventional villain, nor has any elements of undue exposure that would make people feel reluctant to watch it with family, claims Pati who has also roped in a number of veteran actors like Bijay Mohanty, Aparajita, Mihir Das and Jayeeram Samal. ‘‘It’s wholesome entertainment. A story with a happy beginning and a happy ending. Something to celebrate during New Year,’’ he confides.