Director Nilamadhab Panda’s endeavour to put popular Odia song Rangabati in his Bollywood film Kaun Hey Kitne Paani Mein is the new buzz word among Bollywood song lovers across the globe.
The portrayal of western Odisha’s super-hit song Rangabati, Rangabati Kanakalata, Hasi Pade Kaha lo Katha in a Hindi movie is hailed by intellectuals, academics, film fraternity and Odia community. The film is being produced by the One Drop Foundation.
Rangabati is sung in Hindi language by Krishna Beura, an Odia. In this dance number, Prakruti Mishra and Odishi dancer Saswat Joshi have participated along with a group with the film’s lead casts Kunal Kapoor and Radhika Apte. The scene was shot in Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar.
Rangabati sung in Sambalpuri dialect was so popular across Odisha that in the 1970s and 80s, no college party or procession taken out during marriage or idol immersion was complete without dancing to its beats. Written by Mitrabhanu Gauntia, the song was set to music by Prabhudatta Pradhan and sung by Jitendra Haripal and Krishna Patel, two local artists.
The song was first recorded for the All India Radio in the mid-70s. After its popularity, a record company from Kolkata recorded it in 1976. The disc release was delayed because of some dispute and, finally, it was released in 1978.
