A Lost Gem Returns: Restored Odia Classic 'Maya Miriga'
Film lovers in Bhubaneswar are in for a rare treat as Nirad Mohapatra's landmark 1984 film, 'Maya Miriga' (The Mirage), returns to the big screen in a stunningly restored version. Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) hosted free public screenings of the iconic Odia film at Keshari Talkies on November 13.
This special event celebrates the return of a film that propelled Odia cinema to national and international acclaim four decades ago. 'Maya Miriga,' the only feature film by the late Nirad Mohapatra, is a quiet, compassionate, and deeply moving story about the slow disintegration of a middle-class joint family in a small Odisha town. Its themes of ambition, tradition, and the search for individual freedom still resonate powerfully today.
For decades, however, this masterpiece faded from public view, becoming a near-forgotten footnote in cinema history. The journey to bring it back was a long and challenging one, starting when the director's son, Sandeep Mohapatra, reached out to the FHF for help.
The first hurdle was finding the original film negative. After a long search, it was discovered abandoned in a Chennai warehouse in January 2021. The 12 reels of the 16mm negative were in critical condition.
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director of the Film Heritage Foundation, described the negative as being "literally raised from the grave." The reels suffered from strong vinegar syndrome, broken perforations, severe mould, and colour fading. The restoration, which took three years, was a painstaking process of manual repair by FHF conservators before the negative could be scanned in Bologna, Italy.
To complete the restoration, the team also used a 35mm print from the National Film Archive of India (NFAI). The sound was sourced from this print, and it took technicians nearly two months of complex colour grading just to balance the faded and distorted colours.
The result is a spectacular success. The restored 'Maya Miriga' has since premiered at prestigious international festivals, where critics have compared Mohapatra to legendary directors like the Japanese master Yasujirō Ozu.
The Bhubaneswar screening is particularly special as it coincides with the 10th Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India 2025, being held at the Kalabhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum. Dungarpur stated his hope that the restoration of 'Maya Miriga' will "inspire a movement for the preservation of Odisha's neglected film heritage."
For the public, this is a unique, free opportunity to see a pivotal piece of Odia cinema, saved from the brink and returned to its home audience.
