Bhubaneswar: A pall of gloom descended on Odisha film industry following the demise of actor Pintu Nanda, who breathed his last while undergoing treatment for liver cirrhosis at a private hospital in Hyderabad last night.
Remembering the versatile actor, who’s who from Ollywood said that it would be difficult to fill the void left by his sudden demise.
Scriptwriter Rajani Ranjan
I am deeply pained by his death. I shared a close bind with him. He was working as an assistant while ‘Mana Ra Manisha’ was being shot and had a beautiful handwriting. Looking at his physic, I had suggested that he should try his luck in acting. After initial reluctance, he took the plunge and established himself as a versatile actor. After Mihir Das, Pintu can be called a complete actor. His performance in Sabyasachi Mohapatra’s ‘Randi Pua Ananta’, which was aired on Doordarshan, moved thousands of viewers. He rose to fame with the the album song ‘Ae Goura’. But my personal favourite is ‘Jai Jagannath’ in which he played Lord Balaram.
Actor-turned-politician Sidhant Mohapatra
His demise is a great loss for the industry. An actor attains maturity with experience and body of work and gains popularity. This void can never be filled. While the film fraternity is mourning his death, the audience, which showered love on him, are equally impacted.
Actor-Presenter Kuna Tripathy
It is very sad news. Pintu was a versatile actor, who has proved himself through the characters he portrayed. It is painful to see a younger brother breathe his last in front of our eyes. We were in touch with all possible contacts in Hyderabad to ensure that he was provided with the best treatment. Dr Ashok Choudhary too had said that he could be saved if the transplant was conducted immediately, but we never expected the parameters to drop so suddenly and affect his other organs. He was critical but we were still hoping for his recovery. He was very fun-loving and engaged with everyone on the sets.
Odisha Cine Artistes’ Association Secretary Sritam Das
He was gem of a person and it had become impossible to conceive a movie without him. He was punctual on the sets and had another good 20-25 years ahead of him. We were hopeful of getting a donor and people were also contributing for his treatment. The photo of his which I received yesterday lead to concern and the hospital authorities informed that his condition had deteriorated. But I was still hopeful that he will be able to make it. The news about him being put on ventilator support, however, left me worried. I had been denying rumours about his death all evening, but at 11.25 pm, I was informed that he was no more. He left too soon.
Veteran Actor Pradyumna Lenka
I have been deeply hurt by his death. He was a versatile actor and I would always think of him while producing a movie. He played all age groups and excelled in negative and supporting roles. I have acted with him in about 20 movies and he had the ability to enhance his co-actor’s performance. The void left by him is impossible to fill.
A native of Jagatsinghpur, Pintu made his debut in Ollywood with ‘Koili’ in 1996 and won hearts with his performance in ‘Randi Pua Ananta’ aired on DD. He acted in over 70 movies and won State Film Award as Best Comedian in ‘Wrong Number’ (2002).
He delivered his most memorable performance in Sabyasachi Mohapatra-directed ‘Jai Jagannatha’, in which he essayed the role of Lord Balarama. His other movies include ‘Prema Rutu Aslilare’ (2006), ‘Dosti’ (2011), ‘Hata Dhari Chalutha’ (2013) and ‘Rumku Jhumana’ (2013). Nanda was also a part of Shailendra Parida`s Katha Deli Matha Chuin (2017).
Odia album number ‘E Gaura Aji Kali Kana Khauchu’ also gave him immense popularity.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
