Odisha Announces State Film Awards for 2023 and 2024
Shyamalendu Bhattacharya and Namrata Das to receive Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award; Pushkara, My Sweet Housewife and Ashram emerge as top winners
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday announced the winners of the 35th and 36th State Film Awards for the years 2023 and 2024. The awards were announced by Odisha’s Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Suryabanshi Suraj, during a press conference held at Sanskruti Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
The State Film Awards presentation ceremony will be held on June 26, where distinguished artistes and filmmakers will be honoured across 30 categories each for 2023 and 2024, including the prestigious Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award for lifetime contribution to cinema.
For 2023, veteran filmmaker Shyamalendu Bhattacharya will receive the Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami Award, while acclaimed actress Namrata Das has been selected for the honour for 2024.
In the Best Film category, “Pushkara” and “My Sweet Housewife” have jointly won the award for 2023, while “Ashram” has been adjudged the Best Film for 2024.
The Best Actor award for 2023 will be presented to Harihar Mahapatra, while popular actor Babushaan has been chosen as the Best Actor for 2024. In the Best Actress category, Naina Dash Tiwari and Supriya Nayak will jointly receive the award for 2023, whereas Debjani Dehury has been selected as the Best Actress for 2024.
For direction, Peenakee Singh and Sisir Kumar Sahu will jointly receive the Best Director award for 2023, while Ashok Pati has been named Best Director for 2024.
Congratulating all the award winners, Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the State Film Awards would continue to encourage the creation of quality Odia films rooted in social relevance and cultural values. He expressed confidence that the awards would play a significant role in the growth and enrichment of the Odia film industry.
A jury committee headed by noted filmmaker Pranab Das was constituted to select the winners of the 35th and 36th State Film Awards. The announcement ceremony was attended by senior officials, including Culture Department Secretary Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, Special Secretary Deba Prasad Dash, and Odisha Sahitya Akademi Secretary Dr. Chandra Sekhar Hota.
The awards ceremony on Friday is expected to bring together leading personalities from Odisha’s film fraternity to celebrate excellence in Odia cinema.