6th ‘Nirmal Pandey Memorial Film Festival’ Celebrated in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: The sixth edition of the Nirmal Pandey Memorial Film Festival 2025 concluded at the Biju Pattnaik Film Institute (BPFTIO), Cuttack, with a two-day celebration of cinema and artistry. The festival honoured veteran cinematographer and former BPFTIO director Surendra Kumar Sahu and Bollywood actor Govind Namdev with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Awards were presented across multiple categories:

Best Short Film: Anubhav

Best Director: Deepti Ashwini Upadhyay & Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay (Nirbak)

Best Cinematographer: Ranjit Kumar Rath (Adomya)

Best Editing: Tejus Asha Rajan (My Mother My World)

Best Writer: Akshay Kailash Yadav (Khara Modak)

Best Actor (Male): Vivek Upadhyay (Adieu)

Best Actor (Female): E Sanchita Patra (Adomya)

Best Music: Diptiman (Anubhav)

Best Director (Documentary): Chandrasekhar Rath (Saath Chalna Hi Zindagi Hai)

Best Writer: Ajay Mahapatra (Vote)

Best Music: Abhijit Majumdar (Aabha)

Best Editor: Asim Kumar Sinha (Chambal Paar)

Best Cinematographer: Nitesh Rawat (Badguman)

Best Actor (Male): Abhishek Arya (Chambal Paar)

Best Actor (Female): Tripuri Yadav (Badguman), Sona Malik (Aabha)

Best Director: Pallav Roy (Aabha)

Best Feature Film: Aabha

Dedicated to the memory of celebrated Bollywood actor Nirmal Pandey, the festival honoured his remarkable contributions to acting and the arts.

The red carpet saw the presence of several notable personalities, including Surendra Sahu, production designer Sanjay Batra, actors Mahendra Singh Raghuvanshi and Pinky Pradhan, All India Artists Association Vice President Rekha Rohitash Gaur, AO Next founder & CEO Kaushik Das, BPFTIO director Subraranjan Ray, music director Amod Krishna Bhatt, singer Subhashree Bhatt, and Odia film directors Devi Prasad Lenka and Vishal Mourya

Day one featured BPFTIO students’ degree films — Astha Re Dhara, Kalachakra, Block, and Marichika — along with short films like Nirbak, Umeed, My Mother My World, Joggers Park, and Dipstick. The Odia film Daman emerged as a special crowd favourite.

The evening highlight was a soulful musical tribute to Nirmal Pandey by Amod Krishna Bhatt and Subhashree Bhatt, which left the audience deeply moved.

With film screenings, celebrity interactions, and cultural performances, the Cuttack festival continues to stand as one of Odisha’s most anticipated cinematic events.