The remarkable revival of Nirad Mohapatra’s Odia classic ‘Maya Miriga,’ restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, is set to be showcased at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy.

The remarkable revival of Nirad Mohapatra’s Odia classic ‘Maya Miriga,’ restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, is set to be showcased at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy.

Maya Miriga, directed by the renowned Odia filmmaker Nirad Mohapatra, faced immense challenges during its production and lay forgotten in a warehouse for years. Discovered in poor condition, the film’s restoration has become a significant case study in film preservation. 

The 1984 production underwent a meticulous three-year restoration effort by the Film Heritage Foundation. Maya Miriga (Mirage) will be premiered at Il Cinema Ritrovato, a festival in Bologna that features newly restored classics. For Mohapatra’s family and FHF founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the film’s restoration is nothing short of miraculous.

Nirad Mohapatra passed away in 2015, his dream of restoring his solo feature unfulfilled. “Maya Miriga was made on a shoestring budget and in dire circumstances,” recalled Mohapatra’s son, Sandeep. “I can’t wait to watch it on a big screen.”

Dungarpur, whose organization recently restored other significant films, said, “Maya Miriga was the toughest film to restore. There were times when we wondered if we could carry it off at all.”

The backstories of Maya Miriga are as dramatic as the film itself, which quietly portrays the gradual disintegration of a joint family. Set in a rambling house in Puri, the film depicts three generations grappling with internal and external pressures. It explores themes of familial responsibilities, personal ambitions, and the inevitable breakdown of traditional bonds, using largely non-professional actors, including Mohapatra’s brother, future NDTV journalist Sampad Mahapatra.

Drawing from his own experiences, Mohapatra aimed to present a compassionate yet unflinching look at the dynamics within a middle-class joint family. Despite numerous challenges during production, including financial constraints and unexpected interruptions, the film was completed and selected for the Critics Week sidebar event at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. However, due to logistical issues and limited support, its impact was initially muted.

Mohapatra continued to make documentaries and lecture on cinema but never directed another feature. His single feature largely disappeared from view until his son, Sandeep, took on the mission of preserving his father’s legacy. Sandeep contacted several potential supporters, including Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, who had admired Maya Miriga as a directing student at FTII.

The restoration process was complex. The original camera negative was found at Prasad Lab in Chennai in deteriorating condition. The Film Heritage Foundation used three different elements to reconstruct the film’s colors and sound, combining the best of the 16mm negative and the 35mm prints from the National Film Archive of India.

Sandeep Mohapatra, who contributed to the restoration effort, expressed deep gratitude to Dungarpur and others involved. He is preparing to attend the screening in Bologna, although his mother, Sabita Mohanty, could not secure a visa in time. “The beauty of the film is that it is timeless. Everyone can relate to it,” Sandeep said.