Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday conferred the 35th and 36th State Film Awards, honouring 62 actors, directors, producers, technicians, musicians, writers, and other creative professionals for their outstanding contributions to Odia cinema.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that the state government would soon introduce a comprehensive film policy to revive the Odia film industry and transform Kalinga Studio into a leading digital and post-production hub.
Addressing the award ceremony at Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Centre, the Chief Minister congratulated all the award winners, including recipients of the prestigious Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award, the highest honour in Odia cinema. He said the dedication and artistic excellence of Odia filmmakers, actors and technicians have brought laurels to Odisha’s rich cultural heritage.
“Our government is committed to the holistic development of Odia cinema and to safeguarding the interests and rights of our artists,” Majhi said. He added that the proposed film policy would be a landmark initiative to strengthen the state’s film ecosystem.
The Chief Minister also announced plans to develop Kalinga Studio into one of the country’s premier digital and post-production centres. The initiative, he said, would provide world-class technical training and employment opportunities for young talent, enabling them to build successful careers in Odisha instead of migrating to other states.
Calling upon people to become patrons of Odia cinema, Majhi urged everyone to work together as “Team Odisha” to promote original stories rooted in the state’s culture and heritage and usher in a new era for the Odia film industry.
For the 2023 awards, veteran filmmaker Shyamalendu Bhattacharya was honoured with the Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award for lifetime contribution to cinema, while actress Namrata Das received the honour for 2024.
The Best Feature Film award for 2023 was jointly presented to Pushkara and My Sweet House Wife, while Ashram won the award for 2024.
Harihar Mahapatra was adjudged Best Actor for 2023, while Babusan received the award for Best Actor for 2024. Naina Das Tiwari and Supriya Nayak jointly won the Best Actress award for 2023, while Debjani Dehuria was named Best Actress for 2024.
In the Best Director category, Pinaki Singh and Shishir Kumar Sahu shared the award for 2023, while Ashok Pati received the honour for 2024.
A total of 31 awards each were presented for 2023 and 2024 across various categories, taking the total number of award categories to 62.
Earlier, announcing the winners, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj congratulated all the awardees and said the State Film Awards would encourage filmmakers to produce quality, value-based and socially relevant cinema while contributing to the growth of the Odia film industry.
