‘The Kerala Story’ & its Odisha connection

Bhubaneswar: Vipul Shah’s Hindi movie ‘The Kerala Story’ has an Odisha connection.

Prashantanu Mohapatra, who hails from Balasore district of Odisha, is the cinematographer of the movie depicting the alleged conversion of a group of women from Kerala into Islam and their subsequent inclusion in the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Prashantanu, who was born to Haripada and Parirani Mohapatra of Balasore, had completed his B.SC in Physics from prestigious BJB College in Bhubaneswar.

Prashantanu always had an interest in art and culture. He had worked as an editorial staffer in a newspaper for some days before moving to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 1987.

He started working as a cinematographer after nurturing many students in his capacity as an associate professor at the FTII. Prashantanu has worked in several nationally and internationally-acclaimed documentaries, videos and films.

“I was involved in the shooting of a documentary based on the alleged love jihad conspiracy theory in Kerala some days ago. We had then talked to some of the victims’ families. This interaction prompted director Sudipto Sen to make a full-fledged movie in the form of The Kerala Story on the same theme. Some of the clips of the documentary have been used in the movie,” said Prashantanu, a lifelong member of Bollywood Odia Association in Mumbai.

Some of the Prashantanu’s noteworthy works are In the Name of Love, Hello Arsi, Guruji: Ahead of Time, Gulmohar, Mimansha, Divine Shadows, Kebe Tame Nanha Kebe Mnu Nanhi, Nilamadhab, The Last Monk, Breathing Without Water and Maa ‘o’ Mamata.

He has also done cinematography for an upcoming Odia movie ‘Vote’, sources said.