Dayanidhi Dahima, the founder of Daya Entertainment, has surmounted all challenges in life and worked hard to create a niche for himself. He’s worked his way up from an event company to a full-fledged media agency and given it his all in this multifaceted industry. Daya Entertainment is one of Odisha’s most successful and client-friendly creative media agencies and production houses. It has been a pioneer in advertising and branding for several years now. It is a cultural and creative industry-focused entertainment and media company specializing in innovative technical and artistic solutions. The company produces new solutions that integrate art and technology to enlighten, entertain, and thrill the audience through continuous research-oriented content.
The Rajgangpur-born young admaker and brand strategist grew up watching Bollywood films and dreamt of making his own mark. To fulfil his dreams, he completed an advanced course in VFX followed by a short-term cinematography course from the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII). Thereafter, he formed Daya Entertainment in September 2014. “The idea was to provide 360-degree services in the field of filmmaking, advertisement, marketing and brand, event management, celebrity management and wedding planning with a special focus on quality and creative content,” he mentioned.
Today, Daya Entertainment is one of the most sought-after media agencies in the country, having successfully delivered over 200 TVCs, promotional campaigns, photoshoots, etc. Fondly known as the AD-MAN of Odisha, Daya has always believed in promoting the young talents of Odisha through his projects. After making his mark in admaking, he forayed into the world of filmmaking by producing a short film named Nawab, starring Aparshakti Khurana, Geetika Vidya, Maria Goretti Warsi, Mallika Dua and Zarina Wahab. Following the success of ‘Nawab’, he produced two more Hindi short films, Antarvasna & Sita. They all received rave reviews and bagged nominations in the Filmfare Short Film Awards. Notably, Antarvasna and Sita were officially selected for the De Cannes Short Film Corner 2021 and the International Film Festival of South Asia- Toronto.
Notwithstanding his excellent contribution to the field of admaking and filmmaking, Daya has been honoured with several prestigious accolades far and wide. Among the notable ones include the “The Youngest Entrepreneur of Odisha” award by West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee, the “Young Achievers Award by Whistling Woods International, etc.
Daya’s long-term vision is to become the ice-breaker between Bollywood and Ollywood. He is currently busy working on a few exciting projects, addressing critical societal issues. He urges the youngsters to upskill themselves and be well-equipped to tackle every odd in life and reach the destination. “The target market is too limited here in Odisha, but opportunities in this field are immense. So, our youngsters should come forward, do some research, and be willing to take risks to do exceedingly well in Odisha itself,” he says.
Acknowledging the efforts of the Interview Times, he says, “It is a privilege to get recognized by the Interview Times team as the Best Admaker of Odisha. The award will inspire me to work hard for Odisha in the future.” He also thanked his team for making Daya Entertainment a success.
INTERVIEWED BY- PRISITA DAS
