Odia film industry passing through very bad phase

Veteran Odia film director Basant Sahoo, who has made several hit films, spoke about his latest film and the present condition of the Odia film industry in an interview with Minati Singha.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming film 'Pilata Bigidi Gala'.
A: My film,Pilata Bigidi Gala', is a romantic comedy and will provide complete entertainment to the audience.I have tried my hand at comedy for the first time and enjoyed myself a lot while making the film. With Sabyasachi and Archita in lead roles, some parts of the film were shot at beautiful foreign locales. The film is inspired by Priyadarshan's movies.
Q: When will the film be released?
A: Actually, the film is ready and was supposed to release during Raja. But I requested the producers to postpone it to July due to lack of cinema halls. As three other movies are coming during Raja, there aren't adequate cinema halls to screen the movies. There are only 70 cinema halls in the state, which has been affecting the Odia film industry badly.
Q: What should be done to overcome this problem?
A: The Odia film industry is passing through one of its worst phases and only the state government can help in improving its condition. First of all, the government should set up cinema halls across the state. The West Bengal film industry is an example of revival after the state government intervened and set up Nandan theatre where good films were screened with reasonable ticket prices attracting people to theatre. Now, the scenario has changed there as filmmakers are encouraged to make good films.
Q: Are you happy with the performance of the Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC)?
A: Not exactly. Many things are announced but practically nothing is happening on the ground. For a ling time now, we have been hearing that the state government would set up cinema halls in each block, but nothing has happened so far. We don't have any infrastructure for making films. Kalinga Studio is lying neglected for years and the progress of its renovation is going on at a snail's pace.
Q: Most of Odia films are remakes or inspired by other regional films. Do we lack original Odia stories?
A: Not at all. There are many good stories in Odia on which films can be made. But for making a film we need a good screenplay and unfortunately we don't have professionally sound screenplay writers. I have tried several times, but was not very successful. Besides, our producers don't give enough time or money to screenplay writers, which is affecting the quality of films.
Q: What do you expect from the films scheduled for release during Raja festival this year?
A: As a member of the Odia film industry, I sincerely hope that all the three films releasing during Raja do good business at the box office. I am also quite hopeful about it. From January this year, not a single Odia film has done well financially though some good films were released. We have to attract the audience to theatres first.