BHUBANESWAR: He may not be a movie-buff like his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal but Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is known to be a man of exquisite taste when it comes to matters of art and culture.
On Friday, Naveen heaped praise on a documentary film ‘God’s Own People’, directed by noted Odia filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda. Governor SC Jamir and Naveen watched an 18-minute version of the film at a special screening at a City theatre.
The documentary, presented by Odisha Tourism, showcases and celebrates Nabakalebara, the rare religious event.
Naveen took to Twitter to express his views in a series of tweets. “Immensely enjoyed documentary on #Nabakalebara. Congratulate the team for the wonderful work,” a post said. He added, “Not just #Nabakalebara, the documentary is a rounded chronicle on Lord Jaganath & Odisha. Encourage all to see it.”
The CM went on to praise its ‘enchanting cinematography’ and ‘narration’ which he said makes the documentary an ‘epic’. He also directed that the documentary be made available publicly and on internet for everyone to watch.
“High quality documentation of historical events is our duty towards future generations for preservation of culture,” another tweet of the CM said. Hours before he watched the film, Naveen made a candid confession about not going to a movie hall for years. “Eagerly awaiting to see documentary on #Nabakalebara; my first visit to a movie in decades. Jai Jagannath,” an earlier tweet said.
Director Panda said ‘God’s Own People’ will be screened at various national and international film festivals and the full length feature would be released worldwide in a few months.