Dream, Memories and Reflection

With a penchant for concocting tales by the minute, Arjun Samantaray from Jatni, Khorda India, is a
budding filmmaker and theatre artist. Often uneasy with such categorisations, he regards himself
foremost as a ‘kathakaara’ (storyteller). His early interest in these mediums was shaped by
watching plays at the erstwhile Annapurna - B, one of the oldest theatres in Odisha. Since then
he has been intimately associated with folk theatre and dabbles in various forms of performing
arts. He has received his training under the tutelage of acclaimed theatre artists Padma Bhushan
Heisnam Kanhailal, founder director of Kalakshetra, Manipur and Padma Shri Sabitri Heisnam.
He has also worked with renowned theatre personalities from Odisha such as the Sangeet Natak
Akademi awardee Prof. Satyabrata Rout.
One of his most notable achievements has been the performance of the play 'Ichha'
conceptualised and enacted by him in over 90 schools across the villages of Odisha. Ichha is
about a girl whose dream of education remains unfulfilled. All the four characters in the play are
performed by Arjun himself through variations in voice modulation and body language. The play
is performed with the idea of exposing children early on to theatre as an art form which can
provide them with a tool to explore their limitless imaginative capacities. Arjun has been a part of multiple art films and documentary projects. The short films Pasa Khela: A Game of Dice (2018) and Proscenium (2018), which he wrote, directed and provided music to, have received acclaim. Pasa Khela documents this ancient and dying game form which still remains a part of the everyday leisure activities of people in certain pockets of hinterland Odisha. Proscenium brings to the fore the plight of Radhakanta Rangamancha of Mahanga, set up by the Late Jaganmohan Lal, regarded as the founder of Odia theatre. Matimuhan (2018) directed by him and translated as ‘clayface’ takes a philosophical turn and delves into the deepest recesses of human psyche. Our River of Seas (2018) made by him explores the dynamics of a relationship on the verge of breakdown. Examining the roots of our relationships, the film follows the trajectory of negotiations and exchanges between a couple nearing a point of irrevocable damage to their bond of love.
Arjun has also been associated with the documentation of the project titled ‘Prahllada Nataka”, a traditional theatre form native to Ganjam and Gajapati districts of Odisha. For this project which has been crowd funded by the Odia Twitter Community, he has been part of the core directorial team as well as the videography unit. He is also currently working on a project sponsored by Govt. of Odisha for documentation of yet another popular theatre form i.e. Bharata Leela.