Green water, wide river- for a moment seems as wide as the sea. A boat is sailing across. Horizon is not visible. Infinite are hopes, possibilities, dreams and aspirations. This is the opening scene of an odia movie I watched in theatre some years back. Scene is accurate but my interpretation may be not. Well, my interpretation is not that important as long as I am feeling overjoyed by seeing an odia movie that gives me a goose bump and food for thought.

I am talking about the critically acclaimed movie “Kathantara” which got national award in 2006 for best feature film. It is the only odia art film that is made and is released during my time. As an art film lover, I always look forward to see such kind of movies in Odia. And to add to my joy, the director of ‘Kathantara’ Himanshu Khatua is the only director in recent times who is still active in doing such kind of movies- movies that are born from our culture and help us to remain stuck to our roots. No doubt it is quite obvious of an alumnus of FTII, the birth place of great film makers, to make movies of parallel dimensions. Himasnhu Khatua, who grew in the creative world of FTII, has the warmth and sensitivity towards the typical odia culture and he tries to infuse it in each of his films.

The first film of Sri Khatua is “Sunya Swarupa”, a 1997 film based on the mahima cult, a culture, religion and tradition that is attached to Odisha. In 2006, ‘Kathantara’, a story on the aftermath of the super cyclone that changed the face of Odisha, is Himanshu Khatua’s  second movie which took him to the pinnacle of success and established him as a substantial film maker. His latest project is the next big thing “Mati ra Bandhana”, another offbeat movie based on the renowned poet Jayanta Mahapatra’s story ‘The trunk of Ganesha’. Though it is being the latest, I came across another movie of Himanshu Khatua through his news official website which is launched by Odiaone.com, that is “Prayaschita”. While not too much information is there about the movie, working stills and pictures of the movie can be explored in Himanshu Khatua’s website.

Himanshu Khatua has emerged into a great film maker of Odisha by his remarkable choice of stories and unflinching approach to give justice through camera. Although I am eagerly awaiting for “Mati ra Bandhana” to experience how beautifully Sri Khatua has treated Jayanta Mahapatra’s  sensitive story of man’s struggle for existence , but it would be enriching  if today’s filmmakers could try to come out of their boxes and think of making films that can help Odia culture shine throughout ages.

Blogged by Gurujee Swetachandan