This story is from April 29, 2016

Posters reel out 80 years of Odia cinema

A rare collection of film posters, tracing the 80 years of Odia cinema, is on display at Chhaya Pratichhaya, a first-of-its-kind exhibition that kicked off at the State Museum here on Thursday.
Posters reel out 80 years of Odia cinema

Bhubaneswar: A rare collection of film posters, tracing the 80 years of Odia cinema, is on display at Chhaya Pratichhaya, a first-of-its-kind exhibition that kicked off at the State Museum here on Thursday.
Eighty posters, including that of the first Odia film Sita Bibaha released on April 28, 1936, show the evolution of the industry. Culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda inaugurated the exhibition.
"This is indeed a very rare collection that not only showcases the artistic skill of that period but also the chronology of social events.
We are planning to set up a new gallery in the museum for displaying these posters," he said.
From a small advertisement of Sita Bibaha published in an Odia daily to hand-painted and block painted posters of films are showcased at the exhibition. These are part of the vintage collection of the Film Journalists Forum (FJF).
"What could be a better way of celebrating 80 years of Odia cinema than this? The posters brought back memories behind each film. I am really thankful to the forum for retrieving these treasures," said veteran actor, producer and director Prashant Nanda.

The posters give an insight into the changing trend, advancement in technology and calligraphy as the title of the film, name of actors, directors and producers were written in different styles. Initially, the artists drew illustrations of a scene or the main theme or the lead actors of the film. Photo paintings and block paintings later became popular.
"A great deal of effort went into collecting these posters. We got some from production houses, distributors and individuals. Many of them were in very bad shape. Some were available only in magazines or books and had to be recreated, redrawn and re-coloured," said secretary of the forum Surya Deo.
Also on display are posters of second Odia film Lalita, released 13 years after Sita Bibaha, Sri Lokanath, Jiban Sathi, Maya Miriga and several other films that bagged national awards, Hisab Nikas, the first film to use cinemascope technology and Sansar, the first Odia film to be made tax free by the state government. Odissi danseuses like Sanjukta Panigrahy and Minati Mishra also featured in some posters.
"Posters were the major medium to attract audience to cinema halls. I remember people staring at the posters for hours and discussing the story of a film. Posters were a very important part of filmmaking and lot of thought went into making them," said noted cinematographer Surendra Sahoo.
The exhibition is on till May 3.
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