Studios have always played a key role in shaping the business of films. If the success of Bollywood rests on the strong pillars of RK Studio, Yash Raj Studio, Mehboob Studio, Filmistan and Filmalaya, the regional film industry too boasts some of the best studios in the country.
Be it Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, New Theatres in Kolkata or Kalinga Studio in Bhubaneswar, the business of films owes a lot to these studios. Kalinga Studio played an integral role in changing the face of Odia cinema in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the studio suffered severe damage during the Super Cyclone in 1999. Following this, many predicted the death of Kalinga studio. For years, the studio lay in a dilapidated state with producers and filmmakers going in for other options with better infrastructure and facilities. Finally, the state government decided to close the studio in 2007.
However, the iconic studio, which has been witness to the making of many classics, is now set to regain its lost glory. Producers and directors are showing interest in shooting films in Kalinga Studio once again, as the government has decided to re-launch the studio in an all-new avatar.
Kuna Tripathy, Chairman, Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) said that at least 10 movies have already been shot in the studio in the last three months and more filmmakers are queuing up to shoot their films there.
“Producers and directors of both big and small budget movies have shown interest in shooting at the studio. The studio, which was once the best studio in Eastern India, will be revived in a time-bound manner and developed at par with the best studios of the country so that not only Odia films but also films of other languages are filmed in the studio. We hope that the studio will once again become a sought-after destination for Odia film producers,” he said.
The state government is providing all help for the revival of Kalinga Studio. There is a plan to set up a dubbing laboratory on the studio campus. Besides, OFDC has urged the government to provide a site where Kalinga Film City can be set up with all facilities to shoot multiple films. This facility will not only help filmmaking but also boost the tourism sector in the state, said Kuna, who is also a popular actor.
“We will equip the studio with state of the art facilities to attract filmmakers. It will soon be given a facelift with a beautiful garden and eye-catching illumination system. We also want to create a village ambience as well as urban infrastructure such as swimming pool, bus terminal and railway station to offer options to the production units,” said Pravas Chandra Mohapatra, Manager, OFDC, adding, “the main gate of the studio will be reconstructed and will be made bigger.”
Kalinga Studio was set up on area of nearly 25 acres on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in 1982 against the picturesque backdrop of the famous and historic Khandagiri and Udaygiri hills.
Amarendra Lenka, a former employee of the studio, said, “There was a time when popular artistes like Uttam Mohanty, Sriram Panda, Akshaya Mohanty, Dhira Biswal and Asim Basu were regular visitors to this studio. The studio was set up in collaboration with Prasad Studios, Madras. As it was located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it used to draw many filmmakers. Not only Odias, but filmmakers from West Bengal and Assam would come to work here. Popular Hindi cinema actor Mithun Chakraborty who came to this studio in connection with a shoot found it to be the best in the eastern zone.”
Another former employee of the studio, under condition of anonymity, said, “I have seen art directors making sets using wooden bottoms and cloth. The number of films shot here was so high that the authorities planned to set up a saw mill to process timber to help out the art directors. However, the studio was shut down in 2007 and we became jobless at an age when we didn’t have any alternative option to eke out a living. The studio is now getting renovated and we hope we will get our jobs back.”
At present, one can a renovated village set with a large number of thatched and tiled houses. There is also a big podium for meetings, a hospital, a temple, a police station with a village road giving the set a natural look. There is also a zamindar’s house on the village set.
The studio has a sprawling indoor floor for erecting all kinds of sets besides make-up and costume rooms. Air-conditioned cottages are available to accommodate artistes and technicians during the shooting of films.
Eminent Odia film editor Ravi Choudhury, who worked in Kalinga Studio for the first time for Dhare Alua, was happy about with the renovation of the studio. But he also hoped that the studio would have all the latest facilities after the renovation.
He said, “In the beginning, the studio had all the latest equipment to shoot a movie. So many directors preferred Kalinga Studio to the other studios in the region. The studio had VALCO editing tool that offered the best output. But the machine couldn’t be upgraded and that forced the filmmakers to move to other studios.”
The veteran film editor believes the post-production part of a film is more important than filming. He said, “After 1990, there was a drastic fall in the number of filmmakers coming to the studio. Though a few came for shoots, they opted for private editing and recording units as such facilities were not available in Kalinga Studio. Though it is believed that the studio became defunct after Super Cyclone of 1999, it had lost its glory much before the cyclone.”
Dilip Kumar Mishra, a top film producer and Chairman of Utkal Cine Chamber of Commerce, said, “It feels great to hear that the famous studio is being given a massive facelift. Many hit films like Jaga Hatare Pagha, Thakura Achanti Chau Baha Ku, Kotie Manisa Gotie Jaga and Pathara Khasuchi Bada Deulu were shot in the studio. I hope many more such movies will be filmed here.”
The Odisha State Film Policy 2019 announced recently will encourage filmmakers to make more films, he said. However, there is a need to set up a film academy in the state as there is a lack of proper training facility for filmmaking, he added.
Meanwhile, Shyam Balakrishnan, a film producer from Kerala, has requested and submitted a proposal to OFDC for opening of a few multiplexes and single screen theatres in the state.
He said, “Odisha is turning fast into a hub for investors to put money in films which is the reason many MNCs and other national brands are investing in multiplexes in the state. The Odisha government’s interest in the growth of the film industry is luring investment to the industry in the state.”
Ajay Routray, producer of the national award winning movie Hello Arsi, felt investment in movies had a risk element at times although the Odia movie industry has been growing steadily.
“Many of our movies have won national and international awards. It’s good that the state government has formulated a new film policy and is taking keen interest in renovating Kalinga Studio. It will help the film industry grow fast and producers of other states will come to our state to make their films,” Routray said.
SOYONG, OP