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Bhubaneswar:17/8/24:Babushaan Mohanty-starrer Odia film ‘Daman‘, which brought Ollywood’s focus back on original content, has won the 70th National Film Award in the Best Odia Film category for the year 2022. The award comprises a Rajat Kamal and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
Written and directed by Vishal Mourya and Debi Prasad Lenka, the film was released on November 4, 2022. The film is set in 2015 and Ollywood actor Babushaan Mohanty plays the role of a young doctor, Dr. Siddharth Mohanty, who is posted to the cut-off area of Odisha’s Malkangiri district having 151 villages and is infamous for Naxal dominance with no basic facilities. The Odisha government had declared the film tax-free.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revealed the winners today in New Delhi. The winners, including recipients of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, will be awarded by President Droupadi Murmu in October.
The Daman team thanked the Odisha audience at a press conference in Bhubaneswar today. Actor Babushaan Mohanty, producer Dipendra Samal, Pinkis Pradhan, Director Vishal Maurya, Debi Prasad Lenka, Music Director Gourab Anand, and Marketing Head Sambit Jena were present at the press conference.
On the big screen, the Odia films were not doing as well as expected. While the audience was frustrated by watching a remake story, they wanted to see a film that had a different flavor. This wish was fulfilled by the film ‘Daman’ starring Babushaan Mohanty. The true story was presented on the big screen by the writer and director of the story, Vishal Maurya and Devi Prasad Lenka. The story of the film is based on a true incident that happened in Odisha.
About The Film: The film is set in 2015. Siddharth (28 years old, handsome, and fair) is a young doctor who completed his MBBS. According to Odisha state rule, a new doctor is obliged to give his service in a rural area or pay the bond fee. Siddharth is appointed in Janabai PHC which is situated in the cut-off of a Malkangiri district. Siddharth is not happy to leave Bhubaneswar and give service in such a remote area which is infamous for Naxal dominance and no basic facilities.
Siddharth tried all his means to cancel the appointment but couldn’t do it and had to join the service. The journey from Bhubaneswar to Janabai was like a nightmare and Siddharth couldn’t enjoy it. He travels on a patchy road in a tracker filled with passengers, takes a small boat to cross the reservoir, and walks long to reach PHC center. He was frustrated, tired, and annoyed. He meets with Ravi who is a pharmacist in the hospital. He spent one night in the old quarter which was more like a haunted house. Without electricity, he struggles at night and is bitten by mosquitos. He decides to leave the place early in the morning.
In the morning he was all set to leave but then he was requested by a local tribe man to save his girl’s life. The little girl had a high fever and her situation was serious. The little girl’s cute face and her severe situation make Siddharth check her. He does the treatment of the girl and meanwhile, the girl’s father requests him to visit his interior village as more patients are there. Siddharth decides to go to the village.
Siddharth visits the interior village. The journey was full of struggle. Siddharth rides on a mule climbs dense forest mountains, crosses the rivers, and reaches the village. Siddharth does treatment and sees the simple lifestyle of villagers. He gets to know that most people are suffering from Malaria. He also sees how tribal peoples are under the influence of local Tantik or Disari or local doctors who give them fake medicines in the name of treatment.
He gets disturbed and demands from the Chief Medical Officer to provide proper checkups, treatment, and medicines to people. The CDMO ask him to do service on his own. Siddharth then visits all 151 villages and does treatment.
One day, while checking people in a remote village, Siddharth is encountered by the Naxal group who were in the village to find an informer. Naxal makes questions to Siddharth and leaves the place. It was quite a disturbing experience for Siddharth. Immediately, He sees there is a Naxal wife who can deliver a baby any time and no village people want to help her because of Naxal’s fears. Siddharth decides to take her immediately to Malkangiri Hospital. He and Ravi carry Naxal’s wife through the forest and river. They reach the river bank but because of bad weather, they are unable to find a boat to go other side. Siddharth then decides to operate her in Janabai PHC himself.
The ignorance of Naxal’s wife by his community people makes Siddharth angry. Later. All village people come to the PHC center and apologize for their actions. Siddharth then starts his work again.
He finds that mosquitoes are the only major reason for people’s illness and if we can curve mosquito bites then we can save people. He then finds the idea of LLIN (Long lasting intertidal net). It is a net that kills mosquitoes when mosquitoes sit over it.
He distributed LLIN in all 151 villages but after 6 months Malaria cases rose again. Siddharth got worried that he did all right now what was stopping him from overcoming Malaria cases? He finds that people are not using the net. Then he thinks deeply about how he can motivate people to use the net. He comes up with the idea of DAMaN. He presents the idea to Collector and he gives a green signal. In the DAMaN program, the Collector ordered all departments to cross-check all village people whether they are using net or net. Slowly, Malaria cases are reduced and Malkangiri achieves zero Malaria cases and becomes a role model for the world. Siddhartha’s rural service also comes to an end and he goes back like a hero from the village.
