Odisha to Launch New Film Policy and Training Institute: CM Majhi

16 May 2026, 07:55 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Odisha’s regional entertainment industry recently gained a significant boost. On Friday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the state will soon roll out a dedicated film policy. During an interactive session, Majhi made it clear the government won’t let funding stand in the way of building top-notch film infrastructure or reviving the cultural identity of Odia cinema. He didn’t hold back on criticizing previous governments for ignoring the industry, and stressed that his team is all in when it comes to bringing Odia cinema back to life. This, he said, is the moment for bold moves—not just business as usual—to rewrite the future of the industry.

Making Odia cinema strong starts with nurturing the people behind the camera. So, Majhi also shared plans to set up a film training institute in Odisha. The objective is to Equip local talent with professional skills in filmmaking, technical production, and more, so the industry can stand on its own and raise the bar for quality.

Majhi had a clear message for the local film community: stop imitating other film industries. He said, cinema isn’t just about entertainment—it’s about capturing the soul, history, and heartbeat of a society. He pushed filmmakers to draw on Odisha’s own rich stories: Jagannath culture, Kalinga’s maritime heroes, tribal life, the rhythms and struggles of rural Odisha, and the stories that spring from the region’s rivers and resilience in the face of natural disasters. Tell those stories, he said, and people will connect with them.

All these announcements came at a meeting in the Sanskruti Bhavan, where Majhi and the Minister for Odia Language, Literature, and Culture, Suryabanshi Suraj, sat down with top actors, filmmakers, and technicians. Suraj made it clear: the Odia film industry is going to be front and center for the state’s 2036 centenary celebration. He’s optimistic these conversations will chart a solid path forward for the industry’s future.

The event pulled in plenty of big names—from actor-turned-politicians Akash Das Nayak and Sidhant Mohapatra to stars like Anubhav Mohanty, Anu Choudhury, and Pushpa Panda—and a strong turnout from producers and technicians across the regional film community.