I watched Pratikshya, a Odia movie in Bengaluru today. It was directed by debutant Anupam Patnaik who has arguably created one of the best Odia movies of all time. This is no mean feat considering Odia cinema has a history of 86 years. The screenplay is amazing and the movie has been shot in real-life locations of Bhubaneswar. I didn't find any artificial locations or sets anywhere. The story is extremely relatable to every Odia middle class person. The idiosyncrasies and struggles of an Odia unemployed youth is portrayed realistically. The movie is 2 hours 15 mins long and has only 3 songs. The music is quite refreshing with the use of guitar and unadulterated Odia lyrics. The music directors and singers deserve credit for this. There are no unnecessary songs and the casting is absolutely spot on. Dipanwit shines through brilliantly throughout the film. He has immersed himself into the role so much that audiences are bound to engage with the character. The movie also shows the frustration and pessimism of Odia youth with the corrupt government offices and recruitment system in most government organisations. The general preference for government jobs even at the cost of unemployment for multiple years, a massive social issue in Odisha also comes across in the film.
Choudhary Jayaprakash Das is a theatre veteran and plays the role of the father so effortlessly that it doesn't feel like he is an actor. He seems like every other typical Odia father who is nearing retirement and is worried about his son's unemployment. Barsha Nayak and Siddhant Mahapatra have played their limited roles well.
The movie is currently running at Innovative Multiplex in Bengaluru. The tickets are available on Paytm. It is expected to see greater response from Odias in Bengaluru and elsewhere in India in the coming week. The response so far in Odisha has been quite encouraging. I would urge fellow Odias to watch the movie in theatres in large numbers and support this film. Thanks for reading 🙏
