In an exclusive interview with Himanshu Guru filmmaker Nila Madhav Panda says his latest venture focuses on the water crisis that plagued orissa in the past
Contribution of Oriya directors in Bollywood – while not huge – has been substantial. While earlier Oriya directors often took taken the audienc1e and critics by surprise by venturing into Bollywood, Nila Madhab Panda has truly carved a niche for himself and his Kaun Kitne Pani Mein is raking in critical acclaim.
The young director’s first feature film I am Kalam brought him recognition and he is on his way now to release his latest film Kaun Kitne Pani Mein. “When you have no water, you have to play dirty” is the tagline of the upcoming film that is based on the value of water, which according to the director contributes to the zest of the film.
After success in the form of awards for I am Kalam and Jalpari, Nila Madhab’s Kaun Kitne Pani Mein, too, is expected to keep the critics humming for some time. In an exclusive interview with Orissa POST the talented director spoke about his latest venture.
I Am Kalam was highly acclaimed and won 24 international awards, one national award, two industry awards and several nominations. The director was eager to convey a message in each one of his earlier films. When asked about the message Kaun Kitne Pani Mein seeks to get across Nila Madhab said, “The film is purely on the water issue. I belong to Orissa and feel proud as an Oriya. I try my best to represent my state. Water is a major issue in Orissa. Districts like Kalahandi and Bolangir faced natural calamities due to shortage of water. I wanted to bring the issue to the limelight. The film deals with the water issue that plagues a village in Orissa.”
From sons of the soil the audience generally expects a depiction of the rich art, culture and heritage of the state. About this demand and whether Oriya directors are mindful of it, Nila Madhab said, “I definitely try to showcase the precious things of the state. And that is why I have put the most famous Sambalpuri song ‘Rangabati’ in the film. The song is considered an exemplar of Oriya/Sambalpuri culture. We have represented Orissa in a Bollywood film. There was a sequence in the film where some people wanted to celebrate as it was based in western Orissa; so ‘Rangabati’ was the best choice.”
In reply to the question whether the song was an actual requirement in the film or the director inserted it solely with the objective of showcasing Oriya culture he said, “It was a genuine requirement. You won’t normally see a heroine appearing all of a sudden in a scene in my film dancing to a song set in Sweden.”
About the cast of the film Nila Madhab said, “It was a tough task to choose the proper people for the film. I worked on it sincerely and chose a cast which is perfect.”
When asked whether he has plans of offering bigger roles to Oriya actors he said, “I always try to cast people from Orissa. In this film Saswat Joshi and Prakruti Mishra are also associated. Besides, I always wanted to take Oriya actors in my films.
The Oriya film industry is not growing at par with the other regional film industries. Why? The director said, “It is not any one individual’s mistake. Both the audience and producers are responsible for it. I am talking about the producer because he first invests the money and only then the director, actors and crew come into the scene. We should make a good film or, better still, a film with right content. You should not treat a film like fast food. It is not like you prepare some fast food item in a little time, sell it and go home. I mean, if you write a script within 20 days, shoot it for a month and release it the next month, you might not do justice to the script. I have worked for eight long years on the script of my film. When art is corrupted everything gets destroyed.”