Bhubaneswar : The demise of veteran Odia actor Bijay Mohanty is a shock for his fans in and outside the State as he was one of the few actors who have left their mark in all genres of Odia cinema and has acted in almost all kinds of roles.
The Odia actor was undergoing treatment in Hyderabad after a cardiac arrest in May 2020. Mohanty was also suffering from diabetes-related disorders and had undergone surgery. On June 24, Mohanty returned to Bhubaneswar from Hyderabad after he showed signs of improvement. He was admitted to a hospital here for follow-up treatment and was later discharged following stability in his health condition.
On Monday evening, Bijay Mohanty’s health condition deteriorated and he was immediately rushed to hospital, where he passed away while undergoing treatment.
Bijay Mohanty is well known for his noted performances in several movies including Naga Phasa, Jaga Hatare Pagha, Dora, Sahari Bagha, Laxman Rekha, Ki Heba Sua Posile, and Chaka Akhi Sabu Dekhuchi.
Born in the year 1950 at Pandiri in Kendrapara, Mohanty grew up in Baripada. He found his passion for acting during his school days. While working as a clerk in the transport department, he set up a theatre organisation with help of his friends. With sheer hard work he managed to get a national scholarship and a seat in the National School of Drama. Bijay Mohanty was the first to become an alumnus of the illustrious institute where his classmates were legendary actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Om Puri.
After making his debut in 1977, he has worked in over 150 movies. For his contribution to the film industry, Bijay Mohanty was conferred with several accolades including a National Award, six Odisha State Film Awards, Jaydev Award (2014) and Orissa Cine Critics Award (1987).
Bijay had joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 2014 and contested from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat unsuccessfully.
Soon after his demise, condolences poured in not only from his fans but also from several quarters. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda and leaders of several political parties condoled the demise of the actor.
The entire film fraternity took their social media accounts to extend their condolences. Sabyasachi Mishra, Lipi Mahapatra, Archita Sahu, Barsha Priyadarshini, Anubhav mohanty, Devjanj Deghuria, Akash Dasnayak, Sweta Mishra, Silver Gandhi Sai etc. have extended their condolences through social media accounts.
