The mortal remains of legendary actor Bijay Mohanty were consigned to flames at the Satya Nagar crematorium here on Tuesday as the Ollywood fraternity and his fans bid a tearful adieu to the superstar.
Mohanty, who was 70, is survived by his actress-wife Tandra Ray and only daughter Jasmine.
He was cremated with State honours as earlier announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. His son-in-law lit the funeral pyre.
Earlier in the day, Mohanty’s body was taken from the CARE Hospitals here, where he had died on Monday night, to his residence at Bomikhal, where his kin paid him last respects. Later, the body was taken to the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, where artists of Odia movie industry paid floral tributes to him.
Condolences for Mohnaty poured in from different quarters. The Chief Minister described him as a legendary personality who has enriched the Ollywood through his versatile talents. “His death marks the end of an era in Odia film industry,” Patnaik said.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of Bijay Mohanty. With his death, there is an end of an era in Odisha film industry.”
Union Minister Pratap Sarangi, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and PCC president Niranjan Patnaik were among those who also deeply mourned the actor’s death.
An alumnus of National School of Drama, Mohanty had debuted in Ollywood in the year 1977 with the movie ‘Chilika Tire’, which won a National Award. He created a huge fan base in Odisha by portraying all kinds of roles ranging from protagonist, villain to comedian.
He was honoured with Jayadev Award in 2014 and National Award for his contribution to art and literature. He also won Odisha State Film Awards six times.
