BHUBANESWAR: National Award-winning movie ‘Pushkara’ along with ‘My Sweet Housewife’ have been jointly adjudged Best Film for 2023, while Ashram has won the Best Film award for 2024 at the 35th and 36th Odisha State Film Awards announced by the state government on Thursday.
The awards, recognising excellence in Odia cinema, will be presented at a ceremony on Friday. Announcing the names at Sanskruti Bhavan here, Odia Language, Literature and Culture minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed that the Best Director award for 2023 has been jointly conferred on Pinaki Singh and Shishir Kumar Sahu, while Ashok Pati has received the honour for 2024 for the film ‘Pabar’.
In the acting category, Harihar Mahapatra has been adjudged Best Actor for 2023 for his film, ‘Dho Re Babu Dho’, while Babushaan Mohanty has won the award for 2024 for ‘Pabar’.
Similarly, Naina Dash Tiwari and Supriya Nayak have been jointly adjudged the Best Actress award for 2023 for their films ‘My Sweet Housewife’ and ‘Pushkara’ respectively, while Debjani Deghuria has been selected as Best Actress for 2024 for the film ‘Bhagia Bharija’.
The award for Best Negative Role in 2024 went to Hara Rath for the film ‘Vote’ and Usasi Misra for the film ‘Kemiti Ei Samparka’. Similarly, the award for Best Villain in 2023 has gone to Choudhury Bikash Das for the film ‘Katak: Sesha Ru Arambha’ and Pinky Pradhan for ‘Dho Re Babu Dho’.
Meanwhile, the government has announced that the prestigious Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award for 2023 will be conferred on Shyamalendu Bhattacharya, while Namrata Das will receive the honour for 2024 for their lifetime contribution to cinema.
Extending congratulations and best wishes to all the films and individuals nominated for 2023 and 2024, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, “Your remarkable artistic achievements are a matter of pride for our film industry. Odisha’s art, culture and rich heritage are vast and profound.
I firmly believe that in the coming years, many more films will be made based on the unique legacy and original stories of our land.” Majhi further encouraged all producers, directors, writers and artistes associated with the film industry to continue making innovative efforts to bring the stories of the soil to the screen and further enrich Odia cinema. “I wish all the award winners continued success and a bright future,” he wrote on X.
Suraj said a total of 31 awards will be presented in various categories for each of the two years, recognising excellence across different aspects of filmmaking and honouring outstanding contributions to Odia cinema.
Congratulating the winners, he said the State Film Awards would continue to encourage artistes and contribute significantly to the growth and enrichment of the Odia film industry.
“The awards would encourage the production of quality Odia films rooted in social relevance, cultural values and meaningful storytelling,” Suraj said, expressing confidence that such recognitions would play a vital role in further strengthening the state’s film industry.
The award winners were selected by a jury committee headed by noted filmmaker Pranab Das. Senior officials of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture department, including secretary Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, special secretary Deba Prasad Dash and Odisha Sahitya Akademi secretary Chandra Sekhar Hota, were present during the award announcement.
