Sambalpur: Popular Sambalpuri cine artiste Atal Bihari Panda, who earned many accolades through his famous flick ‘Sala Budha’, passed away on early Saturday morning. He was 92.
Panda breathed his last while undergoing treatment for blood septicemia at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (VIMSAR) at Burla.
He was under treatment for last few days at the premier health institute of western Odisha. He died at 3.45 am following multiple organ failure, hospital authorities said.
He was admitted to hospital following some geriatric related ailments.
Panda was popular and house hold name in western Odisha due to his marvellous acting skill. He had enacted several characters in hundreds of theatres and plays. He was also the script writer of hundreds of plays.
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At the age of 83, he had made his debut in Sambalpuri feature film ‘Sala Budha’ which had won awards in several categories in Odisha Film Award.
The flick was conferred with the best film award. Sabyasachi Mohapatra who directed the movie had bagged the best director award. Panda was a recipient of numerous awards including two Odisha State film awards.
"Panda was a complete artiste. His demise is a great loss personally for me," said Mohapatra.