Odisha’s Akshay Kumar Parija Makes History: Papa Buka Becomes PNG’s Oscar Entry

Bhubaneswar: India’s and Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s first-ever co-production feature film has been officially selected as PNG’s Best International Feature Film category entry to the 98th Academy Awards of 2026.

Produced by PNG Government and two-time National Award-winning Producer Akshay Kumar Parija from Odisha, a culturally rich state in eastern India, the film is directed by three-time National Award Winner, Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran.

The film is a historical co-production on the occasion of PNG’s 50th anniversary of independence, weaving together common values of remembrance, identity, and compassion.

Rooted in a moving story, ‘Papa Buka’ reveals the hitherto forgotten tale of Indian soldiers who battled in PNG during World War II as part of the Allied forces. The film resonates with the lives of soldiers who perished unknown.

The film is inspired by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee’s 2016 visit to the Bomana War Cemetery, said to be the final resting ground of many unidentified Indian soldiers. Also inspired by the visit of Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi in 2023, inspiring cultural exchange between India and PNG. By this emotional digging into the past, and with similarity to Paika Bidroh of Odisha, the movie pays tribute to unseen heroes whose sacrifices must be imprinted on world memory.

Eminent Indian actors Ritabhari Chakraborty and Prakash Bare headline the ensemble of historians documenting this lost legacy. The movie has music by Grammy Award-winning Padma Shri Ricky Kej and is driven by an all-Indian technical team.

The standout feature of the production is the role of Odisha’s National Award-winning producer Akshay Kumar Parija, who carries forward Odisha’s illustrious 90-year film-making tradition. Parija, who has made a reputation for himself with his world-rooted productions in Odiya, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam and historical tales such as the Paika Vidroha 1817, infuses this global film with an Odia pulse. His vision integrates Odisha’s values with world cinema and is a bold move toward cross-cultural storytelling.

Co-produced by famous Tamil director Pa Ranjith, actor-producer Prakash Bare, and PNG’s NAFA Productions headed by Noelene Taula Wunum, ‘Papa Buka’ is part of the legacy of internationally acclaimed Indian cinema films such as Lagaan and The Elephant Whisperers, highlighting India’s increasing footprint in world cinema.