Koraput – The State-Level Drama Competition and Panchapattamali Natya Mahotsav – 2025, which began on April 17 at the open-air stage of Nalco Damanjodi in Koraput district, concluded today with a grand celebration. Various talented theatre groups from across Odisha—including Cuttack, Balasore, Angul, Bhadrak, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Debagarh, Koraput, and Nabarangpur—participated, staging 16 plays each evening to enthralled audiences.
Today, the 27th, marked the closing ceremony, where judges announced winners in several categories such as Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Comic Actor, and Best Play. While the drama Rakta Ra Ranga by Etara Abhiyan from Cuttack was declared Best Play by the panel of judges, the play Andhar—staged on the evening of the 24th by Tridhara Natya Sangha from Nabarangpur—was voted Best Play by the audience, who cast their votes after watching plays for eight consecutive days. This brought great joy to theatre lovers in Nabarangpur.
Panchapattamali Natya Mahotsav – A Competitive Platform for Artists
The play Andhar told a powerful story about a low-level government employee who falls victim to the conspiracies of higher officials and ends up homeless, begging on the streets, as his life descends into darkness. Another storyline within the play showed how an honest journalist’s sting operation backfires, leading to a false case and the journalist’s family’s struggle to rebuild their lives and find light after darkness. The playwright masterfully intertwined these real-life inspired stories.
Among the notable performances in the play Andhar, child actor Nitya Prakash Ninggi was awarded second-best child artist, and Prakashini Choudhury was honored as Best Supporting Actress. Other cast members included Debi Prasad Tripathy, Vibhu Dara Sethy, Chaitanya Behera, Ritesh Pujari, Gaur Hari Tripathy, Shiba Shankar Tripathy, Pabitra Dutta, Shrinibas Patra, Nitya Prakash Ninggi, and Prakashini Choudhury.
Music was arranged by the Saregama Creation team of Nabarangpur, with chief music director Amar Mohanty, tabla by Anand Dash, electronic pad by Muna Mahendra, vocals by Rakesh Parija, and coordination by Ghunanath Rath, Manoj Maharana, and Shyam Sundar Ninggi.
The drama was written and directed by renowned playwright Jagannath Behera from Nabarangpur.
Presented before the Public Grievance Camp held by the District Magistrate of Nabarangpur.
No responses yet