Pitobash at The Telegraph office in Bhubaneswar earlier this year

Bhubaneswar, May 20: When earlier this year in an interview with t2, actor Pitobash was asked if he would like to work in the Odia film industry, he shot back saying, “Do people know me here?”

He will be further disappointed to know that his Hollywood debut with Walt Disney’s Million Dollar Arm that released last Friday did not come to any theatre here.

Apart from major releases such as The Xpose and Godzilla, even the ones such as animation film Mighty Raju Rio Calling and critically acclaimed Children of War also found slots.

But, directed by Craig Gillespie, Million Dollar Arm, which stars Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma (of Life of Pi fame) and Madhur Mittal (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) did not make it to the city film halls. Officials in the city’s only multiplex INOX informed The Telegraph that the decision to screen a film depended on the distributors who did not feel like releasing the film in Odisha.

This has left many close associates of the local boy disheartened.

“I was really hoping to catch the film with all my family members. This is very demoralising as all the people who take immense pride in the fact that somebody from Odisha has bagged a role in a Hollywood film will not get to see it. We have to now wait to watch the film when the DVDs come out,” said Byomakesh Tripathy, elder brother of Pitobash.

Mumbai-based actor Pitosbash, who has many Hindi films to his credit, is in the USA at present.