Odia actor Mihir dies at 63

Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odia actor Mihir Das died at a hospital in Cuttack on Tuesday, his family said. He was 63.

Das was suffering from renal ailments for years, and he was admitted to the private hospital on December 9 last year and was on ventilator support.

Born in Mayurbhanj district on February 11, 1959, he made his debut in art film ‘School Master’, and first acted in a commercial movie in ‘Mathura Bijay’ in 1979. The versatile actor had won the state government’s best actor award for his performance in ‘Laxmi Pratima’ (1998), and ‘Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni’ (2005).

Das had won the best comedian award for his role in ‘Mu Tate Love Karuchhi’ (2007). His acting in ‘Pua Mora Bholashankara’ will always be remembered, his co-worker Bapu Lenka said.

He was a popular anchor for hosting reality show ‘Ashara Aloka’. The actor had also tried his luck in politics. In 2014, he had joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal, but quit the party and later joined the BJP in 2019. Governor Ganeshi Lal, his Andhra counterpart B B Harichandan, CM Naveen Patnaik, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik, BJP state chief Samir Mohanty, and people from different walks of life condoled the actor’s death. “Saddened over the demise of veteran actor Mihir Das. His indelible footprints in Odisha’s art world will remain alive. It’s an irreparable loss for the Odia cine world,” Patnaik tweeted. —PTI