Bhubaneswar: Odia actor Arindam Roy Sunday opened up about the controversy surrounding the two-year-long ban of actor Manoj Mishra by the producers’ association.
Addressing a press conference, Arindam appealed Manoj Mishra to resolve the dispute.
“I have been calling and texting you, but have not been able to get in touch with you yet. You or I may have felt bad about something but it is better to forget them all. Let’s sit down and sort out the differences,“ he said.
“Every audience wants good Odia films to come. If you wish to call me for a solution, I will reach out to you,” Roy added.
It can be mentioned here that the controversy surrounding Odia actor Manoj Mishra has been escalating for the last few days. The Utkal Cine Chambers of Commerce (UCCC) has imposed a two-year ban on him. This decision was made following allegations that a campaign to boycott Arindam Roy-starrer Ram in Sambalpur was engineered by Manoj Mishra as Mishra had some issues with actor Jitu Mangaraj. Mishra, however, denies these allegations.
Actor Arindam Roy alleged that Jitu Mangaraj had spoken against Manoj Mishra before the media. Protesting this, some people threatened the producers not to allow the release of their films featuring Jitu Manjaraj in cinema halls in Sambalpur or western Odisha as a whole.
On the other hand, Mishra has also alleged that his life is under threat and accused producer Sanjay Nayak of conspiring against him. The controversy has taken a political turn with Congress leader Narasingha Mishra warning that Odisha could be divided into two parts if the decision is not revoked.
This situation has caused concern among theatre owners who fear it could affect box office collections and the film industry.
PNN