Mahurat of the film Raju Awara takes place in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 17: Beating the heat, a number of Oriya films are being shot in the city. The mahurat or launch ceremony of the film Raju Awara took place on Monday.

This film, which stars some well-known faces from the industry, has a touching story and the crew is banking on the script.

In the lead roles are actors Akash and Arpita Mukherjee. While it will be the first project in the state for Akash after his months-long hiatus after marriage, Arpita is aiming to make her foothold strong in the industry with this film.

“I took a few months’ break after marriage. Then I was busy with a Bengali film. However, I was missing work and am looking forward to the shoot,” said Akash. “The film has a very interesting script and I’m lucky to have got a chance to play such a different role,” he said. He plays the protagonist, Raju — an innocent and naïve village lad who comes to the city and gets trapped in a murder plot.

Arpita plays a blind girl with whom Raju falls in love and makes efforts to help her see the world again through an operation.

“I’m really excited to play such a challenging role. My character Ragini is a soft-hearted and good-natured girl who may be visually impaired but is very hard working,” said Arpita, who had impressed viewers with her performance in the films Bande Utkal Janani and Prem Rogi. “Now that the non-stop shooting has begun, I will try to give my best. However, the sweltering heat adds to the challenges,” she said.

Inspired by Bollywood film Sunayana, which starred Naseeruddin Shah and Rameswari, Raju Awara revolves around the impact on the urban lifestyle on the innocence of genuine people.

“The film has shades of all aspects of life, be it romance, mystery or action. We have roped in many veteran actors including Bijay Mohanty. We are hopeful it will do well,” said director Devanand. “We are aiming at a Ganesh Puja release,” he said.

Music director Bidyadhar Sahu is composing songs for the film while Amiya Moharana is the art director. The film is being produced under the banner of Abhay Jyoti Productions and will be shot in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state and country.

The mahurat ceremony was held at Kali temple in Gajapati Nagar.