‘Paika Bidroha’ — A Must Watch On Independence Day

‘Paika Bidroha’ — A Must Watch On Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! Along with the celebrations, it’s also the right occasion to pay homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our nation. 

And talking about martyrs, how can any proud Odia forget ‘Paika Bidroha’ (Paika Rebellion) — the first war of independence in the Indian subcontinent? It was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company’s rule in 1817, much before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

Narrating the tumultuous event, a short film ‘Paika Bidroha’ was released on the YouTube channel ‘Pallabi’ on the eve of Independence Day on Friday.

Starring great actors like Manoj Mishra as Jayee Rajaguru and Samaresh Routray as the legendary Buxi Jagabandhu, the film by Akshay Parija Productions brilliantly portrays the great history of Odia Paikas.

While Nischay Rout and Anuj Tyagi have directed the film, Hara Prasad Dash has written the story, screenplay and dialogues. The costumes of this periodic film were designed by the film’s co-producer, Barnali Rath.

Anuj Tyagi & Barnali Rath

Paika Bidroha’ had earlier created a buzz by winning four State Film Awards for 2018 — Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing as well as the Best Film by Jury.

The Paikas were alienated by the British regime, which took over the hereditary rent-free lands granted to them after the conquest of Khurda. They were also subjected to extortion and oppression at the hands of the company government and its servants.

This led the Paikas to rebel against the British East India Company in 1817 under their leader Buxi Jagabandhu. A unique feature of the rebellion was it projected Lord Jagannath as the symbol of Odia unity, thereby helping the cause to quickly spread across most of Odisha. Unfortunately, the rebellion was ruthlessly crushed by the Company’s forces.

Now, ‘Paika Bidroha’ is Parija’s long-cherished dream to project that glorious piece of history on screen. In 2016, the veteran producer had announced a period film on Buxi Jagabandhu starring Anubhav Mohanty in the lead role. Titled ‘Buxi Jagabandhu – The Forgotten Legend’, Late Manmohan Mahapatra was supposed to be the director. However, the project got shelved.

Explaining the reason, Parija told MCL, “Creating such a huge film needs a very big canvas. So I definitely needed financial support from the government, but I failed to get it. However, we are glad to have created this short film on our unsung hero and are happy with the good response from the viewers.

After watching it, some big names even suggested to me to file a case against the British government for the brutal killing of Jayee Rajaguru, a war prisoner,” he added.

Samaresh, who has brilliantly essayed the role of Buxi Jagabandhu, mentioned that the aim of the film is to take the story to the maximum number of people.

The actor shared, “When I attended the first meeting with the director, I had a long beard. So the look was finalised. After listening to the inspiring story, I agreed to do it and it’s a great feeling portraying such a legendary fighter. I wish other producers should try to make such films, which can actually reach national and international levels.”

Tyagi, who has earlier worked earlier as an associate director for the film ‘Kadwi Hawa’, said, “It’s my first short film. I learned and researched a lot of things along with the story writer and other team members. Language was the first challenge for me. Another challenge was to showcase a periodic film within a minimum budget.

I would love to make this plot on a bigger canvas and in multiple languages, as these days periodic films are in trend,” the director concluded.

Watch the short film here: