Veteran Odia actor Uttam Mohanty dies at 66
Veteran Odia actor Uttam Mohanty died on Thursday night in a private Gurugram hospital due to liver-related ailments.
Mohanty, 66, fell ill during the shooting of his Odia film Bou Butu Bhoota earlier this month and was admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on February 5 with liver cirrhosis.
He was airlifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on February 8 for advanced treatment where he succumbed to multiple complications arising from liver cirrhosis. He is survived by his actor wife Aparajita Mohanty, and son Babushaan Mohanty, who is also an actor.
Reacting to the demise, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his condolences.
“I am deeply saddened by the demise of Odisha’s popular actor Uttam Mohanty. His departure has created a huge void in the Odia art field. The impression he left in Odia cinema will always keep him alive in the hearts of the audience.” Majhi said.
Mohanty’s last rites would be conducted with full state honours, he added.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan also mourned the death, calling it “a big loss for Odia cinema”.
Mohanty’s body will be brought back to Bhubaneswar on Friday and kept at his house for 4 hours before being taken to Satyanagar crematorium in the city for his final rites.
Born on December 23, 1958, in Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district, Mohanty was pursuing Chartered Accountancy in Ludhiana in 1976 when he made his debut for the film Abhimaan. After the film became a hit, Mohanty dropped out of studies and soon belted one hit after another including Nijhum Ratira Sathi (1979), Phula Chandana (1982) and Danda Balunga (1984). He starred in over 100 Odia movies and 30 Bengali movies.
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He also acted in Hindi movie Naya Zeher, India’s first feature film on the scourge of HIV.
“Uttam Mohanty ruled the 1980s and 1990s, an era when Ollywood thrived on his shoulders. He was the superstar who didn’t need gloss—just a story, a song, and an audience to enchant. Directors leaned on his versatility, crafting tales of heartbroken lovers, defiant sons, and jovial everyman,” said film critic Surya Deo.
He is the only Odia actor to win the Odisha State Film Award for Best Actor for three consecutive years (1982–1984). In 1999, he received the prestigious Jaydev Puraskar, the highest film award in Odisha, alongside Odisha Living Legend Award in 2012.
In 1987, he married his co-star Aparajita, and the couple became a celebrated pair in Odia movies. Their son, Babushaan is now a leading actor in Odia movies.
