Lord Jagannath is the integral part of Odia culture and life style from the time immortal. The traditional forms of entertainment for Odias revolved around the tales of Lord Jagannath before the advent of movies. Mohan Sundar Deb Goswami made the first Odia movie Sita Bibaha (1936) which was Mythological. Then the film makers completely embraced Lord Jagannath. The tales revolving the temple of Puri, the deities and their ardent devotees provided staple source of inspiration for film makers. Lalita (1949), Shri Jagannath (1950), Mahalakshmi Puja (1959), Jayadev (1963), Bandhu Mohanty (1977), Shri Jagannath (1979), Bhakta Salabega (1983), Jayadev (1987), Jai Jagannath (2007) are some of the notable films made on Lord Jagannath. The film makers not only explored the tales of Lord Jagannath but also made on other mythologies. Films like Mathura Bijay (1979), Jai Maa Mangala (1980), Ramayan (1980), Sita Lavkusha (1981), Maha Sati Savitri (1983), Basant Rasa (1984) explored the rich source of Indian mythology.
During late eighties the focus of Odia film industry shifted from original stories. Producers and directors cooked a new genre for commercial success. Thus the Psuedo Mythology genre born. They cleverly mixed Lord Jagannath's name in film's title. The trend started with Pua Mora Kala Thakura (1988). Then Chaka Akhi Sabu Dekhuchi (1989), Asuchi Mo Kalia Suna (1989) followed which literally exploited the Lord Jagannath's name for commercial success. No doubt they are commercial success and they have some very good music too. But they were purely Dramas with revenge as backbone and heavily influenced from Hindi / South movies.
Other film makers also jumped into the bandwagon. Then came Jahaku Rakhibe Ananta (1988), Thakura Achhanti Chaubahaku (1990), Chakadola Karuchi Leela (1990), Maa Mate Shakti De (1990), Kalia Bharasa (1991), Maa Jahara Saha (1992), Pathara Khasuchi Bada Deulu (1993), Lakhe Shiba Puji Paichi Pua (1994), Gopa Re Badhuchi Kala Kanhei (1994), Rakhile Shiba Mariba Kie (1994), Mo Bhai Jaga (1995), Pua Mora Bhola Shankar (1996), Kanha (1997), etc. with Lord Shiva, Krishna, Maa Tarini to be exploited commercially. The words like Kala Thakura, Kalia Suna, Chaka Akhi, Kalia, Bada Deulu, Shiba, Maa, Kala Kanhei, Shankar etc. directly or indirectly refer to the name of the deities and and also the name of the main protagonist in the film. These films are commercial films with all the masalas. The makers of these films might have thought of to bring both younger and older generation to theaters by naming their films like this. However the trend faded away after mid nineties.
Here I must mention about an interesting fact during early nineties. With arrival of these movies a trend started to exploit Lord Jagannath's name as much as possible for commercial gain. Lord Jagannath was an integral part of Odia devotional songs. Salabega bhajans and those sung by Banikantha Nimain Harichandan, Bhima Bhoi & Bhikari Bal were always found a place in every Odia's heart. During those period music companies like T-Series jumped into the fray by releasing Prambramha, a hugely successful Bhajan album. Later albums like Mayurchandrika, Daru Bramha etc. followed. The success of Prambramha album also attracted other players like Venus. Many homegrown music companies mushroomed with Bhajan Albums and made profit selling Lord's name. During those days Jagannath stickers were found on almost every vehicle and even on people's wrist watches. It was a Jagannath mania everywhere.
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