‘Uttam Mohanty, the all-time superstar of the Odia film industry (Ollywood), is no more.’ This news struck like a bolt from the blue when I received the sad news of his passing from my friend Chinmay Daspatnaik (Kaku) on the morning of February 27, 2025 Though death is inevitable for everyone, we were hoping against hope for our hero (Kunia Dada), fueled by our immense, unconditional love and affection for him.
I called him Kunia Dada because he was from Baripada, close to our house, and was like a younger brother to my father ( Arabinda Kumar Das-Gandhi) and friend to my paternal Uncle Kunia Dada loved his hometown Kunia Dada was a gem of a human being who loved to be called a Mayurbhanjia and naturally spoke the Baripada-Odia dialect. He had a taste for ‘mudhi and mansa,’ the signature cuisine of Baripada. He always loved to treat everyone to food and help unconditionally with his hospitality.
In the Odia film industry, Mayurbhanj had a strong presence of stars like Uttam Mohanty, Bijay Mohanty, Ajit Das, Mihir Das, Asit Pati, Raimohan Parida, and the legendary Radhakrushna Bhanj (singer) Kunia Dada was the most handsome hero in the Odia film industry When we were in high school or college, we felt very excited during his visits to Baripada We had the wonderful opportunity to see Kunia Dada at the filming locations in Baripada We enjoyed chatting with him on the streets of Baripada when he used to visit the Ambika temple I was in school when Kunia Dada starred as the hero in the MPC College play Rajhansa, written by Ratnakara Chaini Since the college was only a short distance from my home, I went to see the performance He looked like a true hero on stage and was the talk of the town.
His first Odia film, Abhimaan (1977), directed by Sadhu Meher, was a massive blockbuster produced by Ganesh Jew, my maternal grandfather Mohsin’s Phula Chandana (1982) was also among his best films Kunia Dada acted in around 135 Odia films, 32 Bengali films, and 1 Hindi film during his film career from 1976 to 2010 He was well-accepted as a musical film hero with a debonair physique He was kind-hearted and generous He was a superstar, but his heart belonged to the people.
Individuals like him are deeply cherished from the bottom of our hearts I visited his house in Baramunda to see him for the final time in his physical form I offered a rose and a few flower petals at his cold feet, bidding farewell to the Greatest Hero of the Odia film industry Tears silently trickled down my cheek, unnoticed, stemming from my profound affection for Kunia Dada.