‘Daman’ gets national award as best Odia film
BHUBANESWAR: ‘Daman’, the critically-acclaimed movie which brought Odia film industry’s focus back to original content, has won the 70th National Film Award in the Best Odia Film category for the year 2022.
Written and directed by Vishal Mourya and Debi Prasad Lenka, the film traces the journey of a doctor spearheading the anti-malaria drive in 151 villages under Janbai primary health centre in the backdrop of Maoist violence and prevalence of superstition and quacks. Popular actor Babushaan Mohanty played the protagonist with Dipanwit Dashmohapatra in a meaty role in the film which went on to be extremely well-received across the country. The directors of the film will receive Rajat Kamal award and cash reward of Rs 2 lakh each. Released last year, the film is based on a true story that dealt with implementation of the government’s malaria control programme in southern Odisha districts.
Made with a budget of nearly Rs 1 crore, it was released not only in Odisha but also across Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune and Hyderabad. It was screened in other countries too. As the film’s positivity garnered mass appreciation, it subsequently was dubbed and released in Hindi. Considering the social message the film gave out, the Odisha government made it tax-free.
“It is a wonderful moment for all of us. This award is not just for our film but for the people of Odisha. When the film was released, there were doubts in the minds of distributors because the story was quite unlike the run-of-the-mill Odia films. There were no song and dance sequences. The film got less theatres in the state but people loved it and subsequently, it got more halls,” said Babushaan.
Members of the fraternity and leaders including Governor of Odisha Raghubar Das congratulated the makers of Daman.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the film was liked by people of not just Odisha but other states too. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the film opens up new possibilities for Odia cinema and will inspire filmmakers to create more socially-relevant films.
