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Ollywood industry and the entire state are yet to overcome the trauma of the recent death of actor Raimohan Parida, who had distinguished himself as an iconic villain and set several benchmarks in his career spanning over four decades.
Villain-less Odia cine industry!
Be it thundering dialogues or maniacal laughter with dreadful looks, actors like Raimohan Parida, Hara Pattnaik and Minaketan Das had created a specific identity as antagonists who drags the lead actor and actress into trouble. Noted actors like Mihir Das and Bijay Mohanty also stepped into the shoes of baddies and also succeeded. However, all these voices fell silent one after another. Their voices will no more echo in theatres.
Their demise has brought down the curtains on the eminent actors who have left their marks in the Odia film industry with stupendous acting for over long years. Ollywood has lost several of such acting legends in these few years.
Will next-gen actors be able to revive the magic in Odia films?
Many of such legendary actors carried the burden of the industry on their shoulders, and their demise has left a void, which indicates an unseen crisis in Ollywood. On top of all, the indication is towards Ollywood becoming villain-less after the demise of actors who had become household figures by portraying negative characters.
As these noted actors of Ollywood have bid final farewell and have brought down the curtains, questions have been raised if the actors of the new era will be able to revive the magic in Odia films and fit into the shoes.
"There is no idea if Ollywood will once again witness such an era, though we are working. We are acting but certainly won't be able to match with theirs as well as their personality. But, their demise certainly is an irreparable loss," said Manoj Mishra, Ollywood actor.
Meanwhile, eminent Odia filmmaker Basanta Sahu said, "Considering the current scenario, it seems, a great void has been created in the film industry. Odia industry is now sinking and soon it will disappear with no trails. It is high time when we should do something and find good actors or create good artists."
Irreparable losses in Ollywood
Recently, Ollywood has lost several eminent actors that have left a deep void. It is not just Raimohan, Minaketan, Hara or Mihir, noted actors like Bijay Mohanty, Debu Bose, Dukhiram Swain, Rabi Mishra, Salil Mitra, Ajit Das, Gloria Mohanty, Anita Das and Runu Mohanty have become history.
While many of the actors ruled the hearts of the audience as character artists, some of them sent chills down the spine with their onscreen entries as 'dark characters.' Everyone had a unique approach to the their characters.
However, some lost lives in Covid while others passed away owing to degraded health conditions and other unnatural deaths.
Their deaths have created a void in the industry and the loss is certainly irreparable. Undeniably, such noted actors were the backbone of the Odia cine industry and the loss is hinting at a huge 'unseen' crisis.
"There is a serious crisis of on-screen moms in Ollywood after Sujata Anand and Anita Das. Even father characters are being portrayed by many actors but not like Debu Bose, Mihir Das or Bijay Mohanty. The present actors are carrying out their part, but they lack the talents, and finding such talent is quite tough," said Pradyumna Lenka, veteran actor and producer.
On the other hand, cine critic Dilip Hali said, "Bijay Mohanty and Ajit Das died of Covid while Mihir Das passed away due to kidney ailments. Before them, Ollywood has lost several eminent actors. They were the backbone and it has weakened. Such actors will never come up again."
