More than “How are you?” or “What are you doing?” ,the most inquired question among the Indian audience and even in international waters was :
“KATTAPPA NE BAHUBALI KO KYUN MAARA?”
The Movie Baahubali took the Indian audience by storm. Breathtaking VFX effects, Awe-inspiring actors and a fantastic story line and direction, Baahubali had it all. S.S.Rajamouli managed to hypnotize the audience for 2 years to finally reveal the most awaited suspense of the biennium. This is Tollywood for you.
Now let’s talk about our very own Ollywood industry when compared with its parallel movie industries :
1. No Original Content:
Ollywood industry has mostly been seen copying Bollywood and specially Tollywood. The industry plays safe to ensure a target income without experimentation. The 80’s and 90’s was an era of experimentation capturing the true essence of Odisha but the same is lost since a decade. Love master copied from Telugu movie Brindabanam, Loafer copied from Telugu movie Happy are few such examples of blatant mimicking.
2.Blatant Use Of Non-Odia Actors/Actresses Just For Looks:
Its great to help out people from other states but in this process actual talent is shoved away. No proper accent, Poor acting skills is what brings down even the best of scripts. Movie industry is all about the bling but skills cannot be ignored in haste. A powerful expression of emotions can bring down even themost ruthless audience such is the power of great acting. Ollywood is full of Karolina’s but Nandita is a rare commodity here.
3.No Proper Representation of Odia Culture:
Odia culture has over the time faded in the echo of the bling of modern times. Proper implication of Odia culture was last seen in the landmark movie Bati Ghara in 1976 and Pahada Ra Luha in 2015 & Tulasi Apa in 2016. Tollywood knows the proper balance between culture and modernity thus keeping the audience hungry for more. Ollywood movies with actual cultural representation do not get as much marketing as a movie with scantily clad women.
4.Stuck In The Same Genre:
Drama, Comedy, love And Action, Ollywood seems to have lost the map to other genres of movie making like fantasy, horror ,thriller ,Sci-fi etc. To reach the current status of Tollywood industry, Odia filmmakers need to experiment with other genres as well. The same old boy meets girl story should be long gone now.
They try but fail miserably due to bad execution and acting like the movie Keun Duniya Ru Asila Bondhu in 2009. [Lot Of People Affected By Cancer After Watching That Movie] :p
5.Craze Among Localities:
House full- That’s the word every movie theater reads in south India. The audience there are much more excited about the movie in their local language and prefer local movies anytime over Bollywood ones.But Odia movies do not get as much interest from the locals thus generating a very low revenue. This can only change if Odia film makers up their game and start taking risk with an out of the box script and actors targeting the likes and desires of present Odia youth.
6.Poor Budget And Lack Of Knowledgeable Technicians:
Substandard Odia movies are a result of extremely low budget and unavailability of highly skilled technicians like editor, cinematographer, VFX artist etc. Due to lower income, skilled technicians moves out from Odia movie industry to Tollywood or Bollywood for sustenance, thus creating a lack of proper Tech support.
All in all, Ollywood has changed and improved hither and thither but it still has a long way to get to the position where Tollywood now Stands with BAAHUBALI or other movies. It can definitely achieve a landmark if not better but at least similar to some movies if they invest in a new wave of innovative and experimental writers, directors, actors and technicians.
Let’s hope that after five years we won’t be watching the same copied love story drama with similar copied music.
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