After the international success of I Am Kalam winning over 30 awards and taking part in over 60 international film festivals, followed by critically acclaimed Jalpari-The Desert Mermaid last year and his new film love Is Not Mathematics all set to hit the box office, now filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda is working on an epic tribute to his roots in Odisha, its people, culture, craft and art.

The fresh venture, Pallavi (Blossoming), is a story that will trace the journey of three generations of classical Odissi dancers, Odisha to Moscow and Paris. The film will be based on Raghurajpur, the famous heritage crafts village in Puri district, which is known for its rich tradition of art and culture.

Panda is on his way to Russia and France to finalise the coproduction venture with both countries, a first-ever such venture pioneered in Indian cinema, moreover Odia cinema. He will also be looking to lock the foreign cast for the film, auditioning in Moscow and Paris before returning to his headquarters in New Delhi.

Pallavi will be a first for various reasons in the mainstream Indian cinema, including the first ever crossover Odia film that will be in both Odia and English. The film will serve as a true tribute to Indian history and heritage in symbiosis with Western art and culture, especially the performance arts, and the various forms of dance and music starting from the Gotipua tradition from where the Odissi classical dance form originated.

Shooting will begin at the start of next year as Panda is packed with projects till then, including a mainstream Hindi film on the issue of water, for which he has roped in a big star, to start shooting in August this year. Panda is also now looking for a senior Odissi dancer and dancer/actress from Odisha.