Stills from docudrama on saint poet Bhima Bhoi. Telegraph pictures

Balangir, April 15: A docudrama, based on the life and philosophy of saint poet Bhima Bhoi, will be released shortly at Khaliapali of Sonepur district and Bhubaneswar.

The Central Board of Film Certification has cleared the film, a production of the film division of the information and broadcasting ministry of the Union government.

The film was shot at Khaliapali and Sonepur, apart from Redhakhole of Sambalpur district. This bilingual film, made in Odia and English, is expected to release towards April end or early May.

Historian Sadananda Agrawal, who worked as the subject specialist and music director of the film, described it as a historic project that would do a lot of good in highlighting Bhima Bhoi, the poet and philosopher of yesteryears.

“The saint poet made Khaliapali, the epicentre of his spiritual quest and wrote numerous poems. But, there has not been much research and study of the poet, the place or his teachings. In this regard, the film is a milestone that will introduce the poet and his philosophy to a larger audience,” Agrawal said.

Santosh Prusty, one of the film division directors directed the film.

Agrawal, who had earlier served as the managing trustee of the Bhima Bhoi Samadhi Pitha Trust at Khaliapali, told The Telegraph that the memorial temple and the monastery at Khaliapali had lied dilapidated for long.

“It was during the late 1990’s that the district administration decided to revive and renovate the place and created the trust. It was due to intervention of the administration that the place now wears a new look. However, still only a few people are aware its significance. The film throws light into all aspects of the great writer,” he said.

Agrawal said he had used the slightly rustic flavour of music in the film, so that it did justice to the theme. “Music is the soul of this film, and I tried my best to experiment with the traditional style. The film shows a lot of dramatisations, too. In between the commentaries, the professional actors have acted well,” Agrawal said.

In 1860s, Bhima Bhoi came to Khaliapali (then in Sonepur state), where he wrote numerous poems, preached and propagated Alekhism or Mahima Dharma and professed the philosophy of Sunyabada (nothingness).

The poet died in 1895 at Khaliapali, where now stands his memorial temple called Sunya Mandir and a monastery where followers of Mahima Dharma live.