Veteran Odia actor Mihir Das passes away
Bhubaneswar, January 11
Veteran Odia film actor Mihir Das has passed away at the age of 63, on Tuesday.
Das was suffering from kidney ailments for the past few years. He was admitted to the Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack after his health condition deteriorated on December 9 last year.
Mihir Das had an impressive cine career. He also received several awards, notably Best Actor for his films ‘Laxmi Pratima’ in 1998 and ‘Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni’ in 2005 and Best Supporting Actor award for his films ‘Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana’ in 2002 and ‘Prema Adhei Akhyara’ from the Odisha state government.
Born in Mayurbhanj district on February 11, 1959, the actor starred in over a hundred movies and shone in both lead and supporting roles. He was one of the few actors, who can nail comic and and negative roles.
Debuting with art film ‘School Master’ in 1979 and then in commercial movie ‘Mathura Bijay’ the same year, veteran actor Mihir Das ruled the Odia Cinema industry for decades.
Some of his popular movies are ‘Target’, ‘Gunda’, ‘My Love Story’, ‘Pahili Raja’, ‘Chori Chori Mana’. He had also been a part of few television shows.
His versatility earned him a wide range of recognitions as he won Best Supporting Actor award for ‘Laxmi Protima’ (1998), Best Actor award for ‘Bidhata’ (1999), Best Supporting Actor award for ‘Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana’ (2002), Best Actor award for ‘Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni’ (2005), Best Comedian award for ‘Mu Tate Love Karuchi’ (2007) and Best Supporting Actor award for ‘Prema Adhei Akhyara’ (2010).
However, people will never forget his stellar performance in Pua Mora Bholashankara.
People of all walks of life including those belonging to the Odia cinema and television fraternity expressed their deep grief over the loss.
Expressing grief, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed his death as an irreparable loss to the Odia art fraternity and he will always be remembered for his work .
Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also expressed grief over the demise of the actor.
“Pained by the untimely demise of legendary Odia film actor Shri #MihirDas. A fine human being and a household name in Odisha, his performances won million hearts. An elder brother to me, Shri Mihir’s passing away is a personal loss. Condolences to his family and admirers,” he tweeted.BM