Over the last few years, the Album industry in particular and Ollywood in general has been in the public eye, but for undesirable reasons. The news of glamour industry’s nexus with the underworld is hanging heavy in the air for quite some times now in Orissa.
Since gangster Raja Acharya publicly alleged that Oriya album actress Leslie Tripathy has taken huge money and played a key role in making Leslie a front line actress.
With this back ground speculations are on high here in the Orissa with many suspect that under world network has gripped the Oriya film industry like the Bollywood, where top rated under world dons manipulating the whole things.
With this sorry state of affairs, the golden era of the late 1990’s to mid-2000s has petered out as the industry has slipped into a morass controlled by the gangsters and nonprofessional elements.
Sources said many actress and actors have been entering into the field through a phone call of Bhailog in Album industry in particular and Ollywood in general.
“Everybody in the industry knows, what is really going on but no one is serious as he or she may face Biranchi Das like fate,” pointed a leading Oriya album actor in condition of anonymity. Even the actor admitted apart from this type of behind camera business, flesh trade was also part. Some political leaders, bureaucrats, criminals and gangsters jointly operating the flesh trade with the help of few Oriya Film and Album industry actress.
Gangster Raja Acharya and music album actress Leslie Tripathy alleged love affair has further widened the speculation. Even, the mysterious death of Oriya album actor Papu still fresh in mind. Was Papu a victim of the organised crime network of the Oriya Film Industry and the gangsters?
Leslie Tripathy claiming Raja has been calling her and sending her threatening SMSes for the past few years, a police official said.
“I visited a jail where Acharya was lodged in 2005 as part of a jail reform programme. Although I don’t know him he has been threatening to kill me and members of my family if I don’t marry him,” said Tripathy.
“The actress is falsely accusing me because she wanted to marry me but I refused,” Raja had once said.
Meanwhile Police Commissioner Binay Kumar Behera said, “In fact, we have
been looking into all possible networks run by criminals. We can’t even downplay the issue since Raja-Leslie episode came into fore.”
The bombing on the house of another lady album artiste in Cuttack in 2007 are instances of the murky goings on in the music album sector. The issue first came to limelight in 2005 when gangster Dipu Sahoo was shot in an encounter.
Dipu – on the same lines as Dawood and other Bhais of Mumbai underworld was allegedly involved in music album industry. Selection of actors for the albums, directors and producers were reportedly carried out on his instructions and he played the arbitrator in disputes.
Black money is yet another blot on its face. Not only the underworld but also those with little spare began to dabble in the music video and overnight scores of dubious ‘one album-two album’ companies began to come up.
”Making an album would hardly cross Rs 1 lakh as one song can be shot at around Rs 8,000. Even if the expenses are not recovered, it does not hurt as the main objective of the makers is something other than making music,” said the critic.
Artistes dancing on the streets, around the trees, lisping to the songs and swaying to the tunes, became a craze with sales of audio and video CDs crossing lakhs. Albums like Se Jhiati even sold over 3 lakhs.
According to industry insiders, the popularity and fan following completely changed the outlook of the sector which began to take a professional shape with emphasis on visuals and quality of product, shot at beautiful locales even outside the State.
The flipside saw invasion of video piracy into the sector, which robbed off the genuine music companies of the much-needed revenue. And while the struggle to curb piracy was on, the glitz and the glamour began to catch attention of the underworld and others and soon they established a stranglehold.
Meanwhile, divorce between actors and actress have now became a daily affair like in Bollywood- Hollywood. Actress Anu Choudhury has already filed divorce papers, while actor Chandan, who famed after Babu I Love U Oriya film also having dispute with his wife Sridevi Mishra.
In connection with this case, Chandan has been booked under a criminal case no-117/2007 under sections 498 (A), 323, 506 and 34 IPC read with 4 DP Act.
The glittering glamour world is running through a hard time. It seems, not all that glitters is gold in glamour industry. Both Govt and Orissa Film Development Corporation, the nodal agency for growth and development of film industries in the State should step-in to solve the issue; if not, the time is not far away when both album and Ollywood would be in the grip of underworld.
