BHUBANESWAR: Author Sanjoy Patnaik’s book, ‘Of Reels, Romance and Retakes: Social Narratives of Cinema in Odisha’ will be discussed at the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC)’s 2024 literary festival which is scheduled on November 9 and 10 in New York.
The literary festival is among the leading events on Indian-American arts and culture rapidly gaining recognition for celebrating diverse voices. Festival director Preethi Urs said the discussion on the book and Odia cinema will contribute to the vibrant literary discourse and provide the audience an opportunity to engage with Patnaik’s work and ideas directly. The book documents the fascinating journey of Odia cinema from 1936 till date.
It gives an account of how Odia cinema, intertwined with the indigenous folk and literary tradition, carried forward both the project of modernity and Odia cultural identity. It also takes an introspective look at the crisis Odia cinema faces - one following the route to Hindi as the chief language of entertainment and the other focused on regional cultural assertion as key to commercial success.