Malayalam film Orissa on Odisha

An upcoming film in Malayalam not only tells the story of a girl from Odisha but is also titled as “Orissa”.

‘Orissa’ is set in the backdrop of Odisha. The interior Odisha is notorious for its criminalization of sociopolitical system and anarchy. Women’s empowerment and safety are distant dreams.

Suneyi is a woman who is under constant threat from criminals and mafia. A Malayalee police officer named Christuraj reaches there for the protection of Suneyi. The absorbing events that follow are plotted in ‘Orissa’.

Unni Mukundan appears as Christhuraj. Swatika Nambiar does the role of Suneyi. The film also stars Kaniha, who will play the role of a Devadasi called Chandrabhaga.

G S Anil writes the script for this movie directed by M Padmakumar. Vinod Illambally is the cameraman. Rathesh Vega tunes music for the lyrics of Alangottu Leelakrishnan.

The music to the film was launched recently. There are six songs of which a couple have been recorded in Odia — a dance sequence and a devotional song of Jayadev.

The cast and crew shot for 20-odd days in Odisha in February. While many scenes have been shot in Cuttack, a few were shot in Karnataka where the sets were constructed keeping the Odisha landscape in mind. The cast does not have any known faces, although theatre actress Dolly will play a cameo.

“I saw an Odia film and realised that it relies on drama and superficiality but we here in Kerala make realistic cinema,” director said.

The film will release on May 17 in Kerala and is likely to be screened in Odisha in July.