Wednesday, at the 53rd International Film Festival of India, witnessed a moment straight out of the movies, when Anupam Kher gave Anupam Patnaik a token signing an amount for the rights of his film.
He spontaneously announced that when there is a remake of the film, Pratikshya in Hindi, he would love to play the role of the father in the movie. It was a touching moment for Patnaik to witness this gesture by Anupam Kher.
The making of the film Pratikshya could have been a film in itself. From writing about a father-son story to losing his own father during the early stages of this film, then deciding against making the film, to finally being convinced by his family to make it, and now screening at IFFI, 2022, Anupam Patnaik’s, Pratikshya, has had its own journey.
Inspired by a short story by writer Gourahari Das, it is the tale of Sanjay, a boy from a middle-class family who is on the lookout for a government job, a few months before his father retires.
His father, Bipin, is insistent that he finds a job as the family has debts, and Bipin is also diagnosed with a terminal illness
Sanjay learns about the government scheme of compassionate appointment where a family member gets the job of the deceased government employee.
A frustrated Sanjay waits for his father’s death only to realise his disturbing mind. It is a film about family and portrays the complex relationships fathers and sons have.
Dipanwit Dashamohapatra, who plays Sanjay, spoke about the honour of having the film screened at IFFI and said, “This is a big moment for me as it is my first film as a lead actor, but for the people of Odisha it is an even bigger deal as the Odia film industry has been struggling for some time.”
Narrating about the Odia film industry, Patnaik, the director, said, “Before the 1999 cyclone, there were 160 theatres in Odisha.
After the cyclone, the number reduced to 100, and after Covid, only 60 remain. How the industry can function on just 60 theatres?”
Anupam Patnaik also spoke about his father’s first film which won a national award, and his first film as a director is being screened at IFFI.
It was a special moment for him, and a way to honour his late father.