Bhubaneswar: The focus was on development of the media and entertainment sector on the final day of the Make in Odisha Conclave. People from the industry discussed the growth pattern and the need for a conducive policy environment.
Reports said that the FICCI and the state government had readied a draft film policy. A consultative workshop with all stakeholders will be organised in December for seeking feedback before finalising the policy. It will be a significant development in taking the Odia film industry to the next level.
A senior FICCI official said the media and broadcasting industry is constantly troubled by taxation caps, the lack of a logical regulatory structure and the ever increasing consumer choice.
It’s important to have the guiding light of government bodies over such issues, and hence conclaves like Make in Odisha are a great vote of confidence in the industry, she added.
She stressed the importance of the government’s role in shaping the hopes of the media industry.
Ananta Das, the state Minister for Industries and Higher Education, said a ministerial committee has been constituted by the government to develop the Odia cinema industry.
All stakeholders will be consulted and their suggestions are welcome. “We are committed to develop the Odia cinema industry to the level of Bollywood,” he said.
Sanjeev Chopra, the Principal Secretary of Industries, said the film industry in Odisha comes under the jurisdiction of the Industries Department. It is very important to develop infrastructure and marketing, and to have a dedicated policy for the cinema industry in Odisha, he said.
The first Odia movie was made in 1936 just five years after the first Hindi film, he pointed out.
Talent is available for the media and entertainment industry, but infrastructure has to be developed. The government has decided to offer multiplex operators land at concessional rates, he said.
The tourism sector will also get a push by showcasing Odisha’s beautiful spots to tourists through cinema. We also need to work on enhancing the quality of cinema. We are trying to build multiplexes in all districts, he said.
Kuna Tripathy, the Chairman of the Odisha Film Development Corporation, said the Odia cinema industry has had a glorious history spanning 82 years.
“I welcome questions from all of you which will help to formulate a policy for the development of the Odia film industry. It is indeed a matter of great pleasure to have a full house for this session,” he said.
Partho Dasgupta, CEO, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), said that as per a BARC report in Odisha 11 million viewers watch the general entertainment channel GEC daily, while the number is 300 million in the nation as a whole.
In India 613 million people watch TV daily for 3 hours 48 minutes and 17 seconds while in Odisha everyday 18 million viewers spend around three hours, six minutes and 27 seconds watching TV daily. This is almost the same as the all India timing, he said.
He said that Odia language viewership has surpassed other languages in the state with 49 per cent of viewers watching Hindi programmes also. Odia stands at the third spot among regional languages after Bengali and Marathi, he said.
PNN