Babushaan, Sabyasachi & Sailendra Gear Up to Rule Raja 2025

Babushaan, Sabyasachi & Sailendra Gear Up to Rule Raja 2025

For the Odia film industry and Ollywood fans, festivals like Raja means cinematic celebration. This year also on the eve of Raja, Odia cinema brings a compelling mix of folklore, romance, suspense, and literary brilliance to the big screen. From Babushaan’s much anticipated folklore ‘Bou Buttu Bhuta’ to Sabyasachi Mishra’s powerful transformation in ‘Ananta’, and the heartfelt romantic twist in ‘First Love’ starring Sailendra Samantaray, this festive season promises entertainment for every kind of viewer. As theatres get decked up for the Raja rush, Ollywood appears poised for a revival, fueled by fresh narratives, bold themes, and nostalgic connections.

Let’s have a look at the detailed story and learn more about these upcoming films.

“The plot of this film is a complete contradiction to the film Daman.”- Babushaan on ‘Bou Buttu Bhuta’

Few months ago Babushaan Films, in association with Sidharth Music announced their upcoming horror-thriller Bou Buttu Bhuta. In the title announcement video, legendary actress Aparajita Mohanty is seen smoking a cigar for the first time on screen, while holding a chain tied around Babushaan’s neck. The video, released on YouTube by Sidharth Music, has received rave reviews from Odia cinema lovers, especially Babushaan’s fans. And now the showcase 2, Item song ‘Dungu Thili’ from the film has also created a buzz among the Odia audience.

When asked about the reason behind choosing this film Babushaan said to My City Links, “The first reason behind choosing this subject is that I found it pretty exciting. Two years back a person named Imran, who has worked with me in the film ‘Daman’ narrated this story to me and I have also narrated this to tripti, she also liked it. This was supposed to be made after Daman, but we couldn’t do it so I did ‘Pabar’. Then after registering this story at SWA (Screenwriters Association), Mumbai, we rewrote this story with Imran and with inputs from our director Jagdish and me. This is not a Horror film like it looks, it is a folklore tale. So it’s like ‘Aai Maa Kahani’ (stories we hear from our Grandmother/father during childhood). There are myths or blind beliefs in rural areas when we talk about ghosts or spirits. There are also black magic stories and stories of exorcism. The plot of this film is a complete contradiction to what I did in the film ‘Daman’.”

Directed by Jagdish Mishra, Bou Buttu Bhuta features a story and screenplay by Mohammad Imran, dialogues by Pranab Prasanna Rath, cinematography by Rudrakanta Singh, music by Gaurav Anand, and background score by Abhishek Panigrahi. The film also boasts a stellar cast from O-town, including Choudhury Jayprakash Das, Udit Guru, Ravi Mishra, and Anugulia Bunty, who play major roles.The film has been scheduled to release on June 12, on the eve of Raja festival this year. After hit films like, ‘Akhire Akhire’, ‘Super Michhua’, ‘Bhala Paye Tate Sahe Ru Sahe’, ‘Lekhu Lekhu Lekhideli’, ‘Tu Je Sei’ and ‘Dil Deewana Heigala’, Sidharth Music has again collaborated with Babushaan for ‘Bou Buttu Bhuta’ and it has secured the satellite, OTT, and music rights for a whopping amount of Rs. 1.25 crore.

Buttu (played by Babushaan) is a boy who belongs to this village but has a wish to do something in his life by moving to a city. His mother Ratnamala (played by Aparajita) is a well-known exorcist. Actually the story revolves around Ratnamala only. Rinki (played by Archita) is the love interest of Buttu. Like any typical Indian mother Ratnamala wants her control over everything that happens in Buttu’s life.

“My Aja (maternal grandfather) used to tell me ghost stories when I was a kid and I used to enjoy them a lot. As a kid I was never afraid of any ghosts or spirits. Instead, I used to make people afraid of my ghost attire. I remember when I was in 5th or 6th standard at school, I used to wear my mom’s night suit and with a wig on my head I used to suddenly appear out of nowhere when people passed by our house (chuckles),” added Babushaan when asked about his real life experience with ghosts.

“My First love is my passion for doing good work.”- Sailendra on ‘First Love’

‘First Love’ will be Zee Sarthak’s first theatrical release. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Sailendra Samantaray, Divya Mohanty, Jayprakash Das, Sanjaya, Xonty, Usasi Misra, Subhranshu, Mili Mohanty, Bullu Panda, Jagdish Maharana, and Jagdish Rao. The story and direction are helmed by Abhishek Mitra, promising a heartfelt narrative. The film's music, composed by Somesh Satpathy and Abhishek Panigrahi, is expected to be a melodic complement to the story's emotional depth. Produced by Shridhar Marrtha and Kishore Chandra Nayak, First Love is poised to be a touching cinematic experience capturing the essence of affection, longing, and the magic of a first romantic connection. The film has been scheduled to release on June 6, near to the Raja festival.

After doing two satellite films like ‘Tu Mora sathire’ and ‘Tu Mora Sathire 2’ together, Sailendra and Divya have been paired for the third time. And this is for the first time they will share the Big screen together through this film. Adding more about the film Sailendra said, “Two years back we started shooting this subject but due to some unavoidable circumstances the shoot was in pause. Love is a subject which can never fade away. ‘First love’ will not only be the typical boy-girl love here in this film. Here the first love for the boy is the place he lives, the work he does and also there is a twist in the drama which deals with the education system. This is a Rom-com film with a twist of suspense.”
As per reports Zee Sarthak will start making more movies for theatre in the coming years. For Sailendra his first love is his passion for doing good work, his passion for the Ollywood industry and acting of course. “I am glad to witness the return of our Odia audience to the theatres to watch Odia films. After doing films like ‘Delivery Boy’, ‘Dasama’ and ‘Ghamaghot’ we got to know our audience’s taste. Raja market is a very different market for Odia films which I realized after doing ‘Guddu Gangstar’. There are audiences who like to watch unique stories and concepts on screen but there are also audiences who just want to have fun and be entertained during Raja. So I want to dedicate this film to them,” concluded the actor.

‘“It was both a challenge and opportunity.”- Sabyasachi on ‘Randipua Ananta’ (Now ‘Ananta’)

"Randipua (Son of a Widow)  Ananta" is a short story by the legendary Odia writer, Byasa Kabi Fakir Mohan Senapati. It's a narrative that explores the theme of transformation and selfless sacrifice. The story revolves around Ananta, a young man initially known for his mischievous behavior, who later becomes a hero by sacrificing himself to save his village from a flood.
While legendary Odia filmmaker Sabyasachi Mohapatra is directing the film, it is being made under the banner Amara Studios and Shivaansh Productions in Association with Kumar the film has been produced by Naveen Bhandari and Suraj Mohnot. The music of the songs in the film has been composed by popular music composer  Abhijit Majumdar. Along with Sabyasachi Mishra the cast of the film also includes actors like Kuna Tripathy (playing the role of Abadhan), Suryamayee, Tapas Sargharia, Pruthviraj Nayak, Bindu Mallik and Susila Nair. While talking about the cast Mohapatra said, “All my cast and crew have given their best effort to make this film happen. I have kept Jyotirmayee Panda as a surprise package for my audience, who is playing the character of Ananta’s mother. The audience will get to know why I have chosen her for that character only after watching the film.”

Although the film has been titled as ‘Randipua Ananta’, now it has been changed to ‘Ananta’. While talking about the changed title Mohapatra said, “It is not our intention to disrespect women under any circumstances. We met many literary and intellectual figures from contemporary society to discuss its title and sought their advice on the matter. For this, we organized a special session and invited them to express their views. On the one hand, the name ‘Randipua Ananta’ seems disrespectful to our female society nowadays; on the other hand, the question arises of who we are to make any changes in the original writings of such a great writer. We raised these two questions in front of the invited writers and intellectuals. They gave their well-considered opinions. Based on their feedback, we decided that the film, based on the story ‘Randipua Ananta’, will be titled simply ‘Ananta’.”

The story is notable for its portrayal of Ananta's transformation from a troublemaker to a selfless hero. Ananta uses his body as a makeshift pillar to hold up a wooden door covering a hole in the river embankment, allowing the villagers to pile soil on it and prevent the floodwater from entering the village. The story highlights the harsh social realities faced by marginalized communities in rural Odisha.

After the success of ‘Pushkara’, the Pagala Premi of Ollywood, actor Sabyasachi Mishra found out that literature has the power to revive the Ollywood industry. So the commercial representation of our literature in films has to be practiced. He said, “When I got this offer I was aware of the fact that this story has been written by the legend Byasa Kabi Fakir Mohan Senapati and it has played a vital role during the ‘Bhasa Andolan’ (Language Movement) in Odisha. And also our veteran filmmaker Sabya Dada (Sabyasachi Mohapatra) is doing this, so how can I say no?”

“Ananta is a character who eats a lot and can eat from anyone’s backyard without even asking for permission. So Sabya dada wanted me to look fat and chubby. That was a big challenge for me as till then my weight has not crossed 80 Kg mark. I was only 75 Kg then, but Dada asked me to become 105 Kg. I remember there was a time when my weight became stagnant and I couldn’t gain more, so I started overeating with zero physical activity and exercise. The best part of this period was I became foody and ate whatever I wanted to eat. The ultimate objective was to give justice to the character and the director’s vision. People should feel they are watching Ananta and not Sabyasachi. Another important factor behind choosing this film or the character is Ananta’s bravery and heroism. He is a person who looks like a carefree and naughty guy, but actually he can go to extremes when it comes to helping people or his village for any kind of problem. So it was both a challenge and opportunity, so I couldn’t afford to miss this,” added the actor.

Most of the scenes of the film have been picturised at places near the Harishankar Temple, Khaprakhol. “With the scenic beauty it was a mesmerising experience shooting there. But there was also the threat of Maoists and the local policemen have helped us a lot in tackling that. There was a drinking water issue there, so as a token of love, we have planted a drinking water tank and tap there, which is now being used by thousands of people who visit there. Balasore being the place where Fakir Mohan Senapati was born, we have shot a few song sequences in his memory there.As it is a periodic drama, we have tried our best to shoot it at places having no modernisation. Also we are working on erasing the shadows of modernisation in the editing process. I wish this film to be successful and set a benchmark to encourage more makers to make films based on our own literature. I hope our audience will enjoy this film releasing this Raja,” concluded the actor.