Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odia cine actress, producer and director Parbati Ghosh passed away after pro-longed illness here late last night. She was 85.

A national award winning actress, Ghosh, who was ailing for some time and complained of uneasiness, was being rushed to a city based private hospital at around 12.30 am Sunday night when she breathed her last on way.

The body has been kept in mortuary as her son and daughter, who stay in the US, will be arriving soon. Her brother and noted music director Swarup Nayak, producer Bapu Lenka and several Ollywood actors rushed to the hospital to pay last respects to the departed soul.

Born in 1933 at Manasinghpatana in Cuttack, Parbati had made a mark in her debut Odia film 'Shri Jagannath'.  Later, she successfully played several characters in films like Ámari Gaon Jhia, Bhai Bhai, Maa, Laxmi, Kaa, Stree, Sansar and many more.

Known as Chapala Nayak during her childhood, she was later rechristened as Parbati Ghosh after she married producer-director Gauraprasad Ghosh.

She was conferred with the national film award for her stellar performance in Laxmi, Kaa and Stree.

Other awards conferred on her include Jayadev Puraskar and Bioscope Award.

In 1986, Parbati had acted and directed the film 'Chha Mana Atha Guntha,’ based on the famous novel of Fakir Mohan Senapati.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the sad demise of the eminent actress and announced State funeral for her.

"I am deeply shocked at the passing away of veteran film personality Parbati Ghosh. She was an icon and one of the greatest gifts to Odia cinema industry", Patnaik said though a statement.

"In the early days of Odia cinema, she single handedly uplifted Odia cinema to a new level. She was really a symbol of women empowerment when ideas like empowerment was unheard of. Her departure is a great loss to our industry and the world of silver screen. She will always be remembered for her contribution to Odia cinema," he stated.

Ghosh will be given a state funeral, the statement added.

Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda also expressed condolence over the demise of the actor through twitter. "A versatile genius Parbati Ghosh has been a popular figure in Odia cinema industry. She will always be remembered for her unparalleled contribution to the film industry as an actor and director par excellence. May her soul rest in peace,"  Panda tweeted.

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