The first question this group of eight encounters is why Diabetes? They burst out laughing since they are mostly mistaken to be campaigners for this chronic disorder.
Today, Diabetes Entertainment is setting its footprints in the Odia film industry by introducing new trends. From photo-shoots to designer movie posters, this motley group is ready to provide multiple solutions.
Up and coming Ollywood stars like Akash Dasnayak, Archita Sahu and Priya Choudhury and a seasoned actress such as Anu Chowdhry are already on their client list. While the concept of poster designing did not exist in Odisha, the group set off a trend by becoming the official poster designers for the movie Raju Awara. Just a year-old, the company has already created a buzz by launching the first-ever celebrity calendar earlier this year and is also planning the first-ever promotional song video for a movie.
The team is a mixed bag of talent. Dayanidhi Dahima, the founder of the company, handles mostly the marketing and ideation of the projects. Mohit Varu and Shreeja Behera are the photographers, Suraj Bhagat a visual artist, Girijashankar Senapati an editor, and Jitendranath Sahoo and Shuvra Sengupta compositor and motion designers. Kiran Panigrahi specialises in production and special effects. “To be recognised as a unit is something we strive to achieve. It helps us stay united,” says Dahima.
Actress Anu says, the professionalism of the team sets them apart. “They were always specific to the last detail about how the model should look and what the wardrobe should be. I have worked in Mumbai and it is not before long that Diabetes reaches that level,” she says.
It was during one of the photo-shoots of Akash did the idea of poster designing come up. On his initiation they got the project for Raju Awara. Then came Shapath and TV series Doctor MBBS. “Ollywood has huge potential to grow; we just need to find a way to bring about the innovation in a better way and at par with Bollywood,” says Suraj.
Team Diabetes almost pulled off a surprise of sorts when it launched the first-ever celebrity calendar of Odisha which featured the who’s who — from top movie stars to Chess star Padmini Rout. Be it poster designing, professional photoshoots, showreel creation or promotional video, Diabetes is slowly creating a niche for itself as a complete solution to the Ollywood industry.