BHUBANESWAR: Actor-director Anupam Kher on Wednesday announced the remake of Odia film ‘Pratikshya’, directed by Anupam Patnaik, in Hindi at the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)-2022 in Goa. ‘Pratikshya’ is the only Odia film being screened at the prestigious IFFI this year.
Speaking at a session on the film at the festival, Kher offered the token signing amount for the rights of the film to Anupam and expressed his interest in playing the role of the father in the film that highlights the dynamics of a father-son relationship.
Speaking on the occasion, Anupam said it was a special moment for him, and a way to honour his late father Amiya Ranjan Patnaik. “It was a moment straight out of the movies, befitting that it happened at IFFI, a platform that celebrates the magic of the movies,” he said.
Inspired by a short story written by Gourahari Das, it is the story of Sanjay, a boy from a middle class family who is on the lookout for a government job, a few months before his father retires. His father, Bipin, is insistent that he find a job, as the family has debts, and he is also diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Sanjay learns about the government’s scheme of compassionate appointment where a family member gets the job of the deceased government employee. A frustrated Sanjay waits for his father’s death for the job.
Dipanwit Dashamohapatra, who plays Sanjay, said it is also a big moment for him as it is his first film as a lead actor. “But for the people of Odisha, it is an even bigger deal as the Odia film industry has been struggling for some time,” the actor said. The film is scheduled to release on December 2.