Bhubaneswar, Feb. 9: Veteran film-maker Manmohan Mahapatra will direct thehistoric film Buxi Jagabandhu.
A grand mahurat of the film, a project by Odia superstar Anubhav Mohanty and producer Akshay Parija, was held on January 11 at a star hotel in Bhubaneswar.
On the occasion, the team had informed that they were in talks with a number of national film-makers to direct the film, which aims to explore the indomitable spirit of Buxi Jagabandhu, the leader of the Paika rebellion of 1817.
Several Odia scholars consider the Paika mutiny of Khurda as the first freedom struggle before Independence and even before the First War of Independence in 1857.
Mahapatra affirms that the film is not intended to be a commercial venture.
"The film is quite inclined to the art genre, and there would be no fictionalising. My attempt would be to present the life and struggle of the leader the way it happened," said the eight-time national award winner film-maker.
Hailing from Khurda, the film-maker said the theme of the film was quite close to his heart.
"A few of ancestors from my mother's side had a connection with Jagabandhu, and they also took part in the rebellion. Through the film, our attempt would be to showcase the glorious history of the warrior clans of the state to the world," said the film-maker.
Earlier, he had made two short films - one is Raktatirtha Eram on the firing incident at Eram in 1942 and another on the freedom struggle of the country.
This will be Mahapatra's first venture with Anubhav. "When they approached me for the film, I realised that they were quite serious about the venture. So, I decided to take up the directorial role. I think he will do justice to the epic character," said the alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
The shooting is supposed to start from August. In another development, a team of historians is working on the subject to gather factual information.
A group of visual effects artistes and crew from Odisha, India and abroad will assist Mahapatra during the making of the film.
The film is considered significant as it has been launched ahead of the 200th year of the Paika revolution.
