BHUBANESWAR: From Temples, jungles and villages the scenes have changed to posh bungalows, fashion housing colleges, lush green gardens and buzzing cities. The reformation in Oriya film sets and locations has been remarkably visible over the years. However, it seems the best is yet to come.
In the eighties and even nineties, most of the shooting was limited in locations within the State. Since most movies were based on village culture or Cuttack and Bhubaneswar lifestyle, it never seemed important to spend much on the sets. As the Capital grew and became a hub for education the themes focused more from family matters to student life. Romance in the younger generation started being portrayed as a dreamy experience for which not only the country’s most famous rivers, snowy hill tops, or hot deserts are sought after, the readymade sets of Ramoji Film City of Hyderabad and sometimes even Mumbai based studios are also employed. “We shot Shatru Sanghar at locations throughout the country. From Ladakh to Mumbai and Hyderabad, the most appropriate backdrops for a scene or song were picked. Though it took a major chunk of the finance, we did not compromise,” says director Sudhansu Sahu.
But even now, its not an outdoor location that the industry looks for until the situation demands believes director Sushant Mani. In the romantic film Aa Janhare Lekhiba Naa, the royal palaces in Dhenkanal were chosen for shooting as the script was based on a royal family’s story. Also the recent Anubhav and Archita starrer Akase Ki Ranga Lagila was shot in Dhenkanal, Barang, Konark and Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as well as Ramoji. “Both Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are the main spots where my films are shot. Since the Kalinga studio does not suffice we look for bungalows in Cuttack that are huge and fit the script. However, many-a-times adjustments are inevitable since the limited finance does not allow to shoot outdoor, specially outside the State, where we find all facilities which are not available locally,” says director Sanjay Nayak. But he is also hopeful the sets will be better locally with time, just like they are now, as compared to the scene few years back.
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