Odisha duo win the 71st National Film Award for ‘The Silent Epidemic’, a documentary advocating road safety and social change
OdishaPlus Bureau
“The Silent Epidemic” (Hindi), produced by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Jitendra Mishra from Titilagarh (Balangir district) and social entrepreneur Sarika Panda Bhatt from Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi district) of Odisha, has been honoured with the prestigious 71st National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values. The film was produced under their respective banners—Cinema4Good Pvt. Ltd. and the Raahgiri Foundation.With this honour, Jitendra and Sarika become the first duo from Odisha to receive a National Film Award in this category.
Presented by the National Film Development Corporation of India under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, the awards were officially announced on August 1, 2025, celebrating the best of Indian cinema from the year 2023.
“The Silent Epidemic” is a powerful documentary highlighting the emotional, physical, and financial toll of road crashes in India. Through intimate stories of four individuals and one family, it reveals the lasting impact of disability and loss, especially among the underprivileged, while advocating for urgent, design-driven road safety reforms.The Silent Epidemic was previously selected for the prestigious WHO Health for All Film Festival, the 18th Mumbai International Film Festival, the Indo-Iranian Film Festival on Disability, The great India Film Festival, Dubai and the Indo-German Film Week. The film had also earned a special mention at International Purple Fest in Goa hosted by State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in association with the Directorate of Social Welfare and Entertainment Society of Goaand received recognition at the National Road Safety Short Film Festival organized by the State Transport Authority, Govt of Odisha, the National Short Film Festival on Disability Issues, and several other esteemed platforms.Directed by Delhi based filmmaker Akshat Gupta and assisted by Akash Basu, the film is being presented by Sarika’s Raahagiri Foundation and Jitendra’s production house Cinema4good in association with Wheeling Happinessco-founded by Padma Shree Awardee Dr. Deepa Malik and Devika Malik, the film powerfully highlights road safety through compelling storytelling.
The filmmakers expressed their joy and gratitude, stating: “This recognition is not just an award—it’s a powerful symbol of unity, collaboration, and mutual trust. Coming from the same region—the KBK districts of Odisha—we carried different aspirations and dreams, but we believe in the same value systems and share like-minded ideas. That common ground brought us together. Through this film, our paths converged with purpose. ‘The Silent Epidemic’ stands as a testament to what can be achieved when individuals collaborate with shared values and a collective vision. Our journey was rooted in trust and shaped by our commitment—and today, it has made history.”
Born in Bawanipatna, Odisha, Sarika is the Director in Nagarro and founder Trustee of Raahgiri Foundation and leading the Raahgiri Day movement in Haryana. She is also helping other cities to replicate this hugely successful concept. Having about 20 years of experience in the field of urban developments, transport, environment and architecture, she is also leading the non-motorised transport work and Vision Zero programme to reduce road accidents in many cities in India. Sarika was selected as one of the 60 global women leaders in the world who making a change in how we move in out cites. The recognition came from TUMI, Germany. In 2019 Sarika was selected as the bicycle mayor of Gurugram by BYCS, Netherlands. She has been formally trained as an architect and urban planner and has a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a Master’s degree in Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, she also has a Master’s degree in Sociology.
Hailing from Titilagarh, Odisha, Jitendra Mishra is one of the few Indian film producers and promoters who have set a global benchmark in alternative approaches to film production, distribution, and promotion. Deeply committed to socially relevant cinema, he has been involved in over 110 films across various genres and roles—many of which have received international acclaim. Notable recent works include The Last Color, Buried Seeds, Desires of the Heart, Human Oak and the Saint of Brooklyn. Jitendra has earned numerous national and international awards and has been the festival director of Smile Int’l film festival – SIFFCY, a distinctive film festival and forum initiated by the Smile Foundation. He currently serves as the elected president of CIFEJ (International Center of Film for Children and Youth)—one of the world’s oldest and largest global media networks—established under United Nations for education, sciences, and culture (UNESCO) in 1955 in Brussels and now based in Athens, hosted by EKKOMED, the Hellenic Film & Audio-visual Center – Creative Greece.A member of the Cannes Producers Network, Jitendra has also been invited to serve on the jury of over 60 international film festivals and forums around the world.