‘Baji- The immortal Boat Boy’ Wins State Award

‘Baji- The immortal Boat Boy’ Wins State Award

The 31st Odisha State Film Awards ceremony was held on Monday in a glittering event at the Utkal Mandap amid presence of the awardees, guests, artists and others. Awards were given to films belonging to about 26 different categories. An award was also jointly given to two persons in a special event held at Utkal Mandap located on the premises of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Winner of multiple awards, Odia short film ‘Baji – The Boat Boy’, got awarded the ‘Best Educational Film’ and ‘Best Children’s Film’ award.

Previously, this short film has own awards for ‘Best Editing’ at the 6th Noida International Film Festival- 19 and an honourable jury mention at the 9th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival- 19. It had also been officially selected for the 8th Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival- 19.

Made under the banner ‘Prelude Production’, the film has been produced by Satyabrat Sanu Ratho. Directed by Chinmay Das, the cast of the film includes actors like Arijeet Mishra, Parthasarathi Ray, Bhaswati Basu, Deepanjali Mohanty, Choudhary Jayaprakash Das, Vicky Vijay, Pranab Prasanna Ratha, Nishikant Nayak and Jagannath Das.

As a tribute to freedom fighter Baji Rout on his death anniversary, a premiere of the film was held on 11 Oct, 2018 at the state Secretariat, where honorable Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Rajesh Verma, Private Secretary to CM and 5T secretary V K Pandian and other senior functionaries of the state government watched the film and appreciated it. The Chief Minister congratulated the makers of the film and advised them to organize special screening sessions for school children.

The film is based on the story of the youngest martyr of the freedom struggle from Odisha, Baji Rout. Born on October 5, 1926, at Nilakanthapur in Dhenkanal district, Baji was courageous enough to face the rifles of the British force, furious at the audacity to disobey the order of the powerful police force. At a very young age where he was supposed to play and enjoy his life, he protested against injustice and fought for the freedom of his land.

He became a part of the elite group of freedom fighters whose names will never be forgotten. Baji’s name, his bravery and his sheer will at the tender age of only 12 will always be inspiring for the younger generation. The story, although summarised, is important for the young generation as it instills in them patriotism.

Elated with the success of the film, Satyabrat Sanu Ratho said, “We are happy to be part of such original content in cinema, especially when it has its roots in our own history and culture. At the same time, we want to encourage young and talented filmmakers, actors and technicians to create refreshing and inspiring cinema in Odisha. This recognition definitely boosts us towards making good content in future.”

Remembering the efforts of the crew Chinmay said, “Our team has worked tirelessly to bring in the story of a real legend while also ensuring that the story of the film is the true hero. Thanks to the young producers like Satyabrat sir, who has believed in us and helped us in every aspect of this film and its completion. Getting any recognition matters a lot for the new filmmakers like me. We are happy and proud of our state and the legends like Baji Rout.”