Bhubaneswar, Oct. 2: An exhibition on evolution of Odia film music will be held at the State Museum from October 4 to 19 here.

A number of rare film-related photographs released till 1986 will be displayed at the event.

About 81 photographs taken during music recordings of films will be displayed. 'We have collected the pictures from various production houses, film magazines and by visiting families of music directors and crew members of films,' said film critic and researcher Surya Deo, who is leading the initiative.

Each photograph will have details about the recording studio, the name and release date of the film, its star cast and the musicians involved.

Fourteen photographs of prominent music directors of Odia cinema, including Akshaya Mohanty, Raghunath Panigrahi and Balakrushna Das among others, will be displayed.

These apart, gramophonic records of a few films will be put up for the viewers.

'The pictures will throw light on the how the recording format and the musical scenario in Odia cinema evolved over the years. Odia film music has been very popular during yesteryears so it is imperative that we preserve them for future references,' Deo added. The researcher said there was a need to preserve films. 'We need to understand the value of archives. We should have a film policy to this effect. It is like history, it reflects the life and social customs of a particular age. We have to understand that films are a part of our culture. In fact, a move to preserve films was initiated on the 75th anniversary of Odia films, but no significant progress has been made in this regard,' he said.