ON SUNDAY, eminent film personality Basant Nayak, recipient of Jayadev Puraskar, State’s highest honour for cinema, was conferred the Fitfat Bioscope Award (a major award instituted by Home Video Entertainment group). Many felt the award came a bit late for this 73-year-old “Dream Merchant” of Oriya film industry. The grand old man of Ollywood has pioneering contribution towards Oriya cinema.
Hailing from Cuttack, young Nayak commenced his career as a textile engineer in Mumbai in 1959. “I had never imagined that I shall get into the film industry”, recollects the man who had an accidental entry into film distribution with Jajabara. Leaving Mumbai, he had set up his independent business in his home city Cuttack when film producer Bijay Patnaik lured him into the industry as a distributor of his film. That was the point from where Nayak never returned.
Nayak has made 19 films and each one has gained commercial and critical success as popular cinema. “I never believed in compartmentalisation of mainstream and parallel cinema. Cinema must be made for the masses and it must entertain,” has been his candid comment. And true to his convictions, his first film Nagaphasa (made in 1977); Danda Balunga (made in 1984, winner of two State Film Awards); Jahaku Rakhibe Ananta (1988, selected for Indian Panorama and claimed three State Film Awards); Lakshye Sivapuji paichhipua (1994, State Film Award winner); I Love You (2004, set a record in box office hits); Romeo, the Lover Boy (made this year) and the ready-for-release Don speak volumes of the master filmmaker’s versatility.
Nayak has the distinction of introducing film stars like Bijay Mohanty, Malabika Ray, Anubhav Mohanty, Arindam and even Uttam-Aparajita’s teenager son Babusan. “I believe in the new blood and I am convinced that the viewers always look for freshness in all aspects of films – actors, stories, techniques and treatment,” asserts the filmmaker who scripts the stories of his films and gets involved in all departments at the pre and post production level.” I am a perfectionist and a hard task master”, he admits.
Nayak has not confided himself to Oriya films. As a distributor, he has more than 500 films in Hindi, Bengali and Oriya to his credit under the Brajaraj Movies banner. He has made films in Hindi (Spandan that won national award as best feature film on family welfare) and Bengali as well. He has roped in veterans like Rakhee Gulzar, Mithun Chakraborty, Sujit Kumar, Aruna Irani, Paintal, Prosenjeet, Debashree Roy and Satabdi Roy for his films – a rare achievement for an Oriya.
Nayak’s greatest happiness has been his two sons – Binay and Sanjay – who have followed in his footsteps as filmmakers. “Brajaraj Movies has created a legacy. I am happy that they came forward to carry it ahead,” he signs off.
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