Bhubaneswar: Usha, the first Odia telefilm aired on Doordarshan in 1987, was screened here at Jaydev Bhavan, Thursday.
Titled Smrutichhaya-19, the event was organised by the Film Journalists’ Forum of Bhubaneswar in collaboration with Akshaya Mohanty Trust. Written and directed by legendary Odia filmmaker Nitai Palit and shot in 35 mm print, the 90-minute film is about the age-old dowry system in Indian society and its eradication. Palit also had written the screenplay for the movie. Significantly, Akshaya Mohanty, another legend of Odisha, composed the songs and scored the film’s music. He also played a key role in Usha. Among others, Amaresh, Bina, Bhima Singh, Ananta Bharati, Bhima Patri, and Mahendra Mishra played important roles in the film.
Many celebrities including actors Partha Sarathi Ray, Anu Choudhury and Kuna Tripathy, singers Susmita Das and Sweta Mishra, litterateur Debi Prasanna Pattanayak, dramatist Anant Mohapatra, culture scholar Asit Mohanty and film director Sabyasachi Mohapatra were present on the occasion. In a brief ceremony, personalities associated with the film were felicitated while a booklet featuring the film’s details was unveiled.
It may be noted that Sadgati was the first Indian film which was directed by Oscar-winning Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray in 1981.