Recovery of Kalinga Studio will not be beneficial to the film industry
The Congress government of 1980 recognized film making as an industry in the state. Odisha was the first state in the country to recognize film as an industry. Incentives were announced as per industry policy. Kalinga Studio was set up at this time.
Due to the inefficiency of the current government, Kalinga Studio, which gained nationwide fame, has been closed since 2007. After the complete destruction, the state government has made efforts to restore it. The way Kalinga Studios is being built will only be useful for the tourism industry. But Jayant Mohanty, the former chairman of the State Film Development Corporation, is of the opinion that it will not be very useful for the film industry.
Mr. Mohanty said that the Kalinga Studio was set up with the efforts of Chief Minister Late Janaki Ballabh Patnaik. Odisha films were given all sorts of incentives. As a result, the film industry in the state witnessed phenomenal growth. The number of state theaters has crossed 300. But after the disaster, the number of theaters has dropped to 30 due to lack of incentives. So the films being made in the state are not doing enough business.
The number of sponsors is decreasing. The objective behind the setting up of Kalinga Studios was to promote the development of the film industry as well as the development of the orthodox language and culture. For this, directly and indirectly, people were able to get employment. Prasad Laboratory was set up in 1989. Which was useful for making movies. But now there is no more need for Prasad Laboratory for technological change. So there is no point in keeping it inside Kalinga Studio.
He further said that earlier the Film Development Corporation used to organize various film festivals. The International Children’s Film Festival was held in 1987. It was inaugurated by the late PM shri Rajiv Gandhi. Under the current film policy, the current government has stopped the incentives and credit facilities that were earlier given to Odiyaan films. Similarly, in the name of improving the studio, all the houses like recording and shooting floors have been demolished without considering the good or the bad.
What will the cinema industry do to the wedding hall under construction? If the houses under construction were done with technological know-how and the opinion of people associated with the cinema industry, it could have catered to the demand of the cinema industry as well as tourism. Therefore Mr. Mohanty questioned whether the recovery of the studios would be a real help to the cinema industry or anything else.