Manmohan Mahapatra (ମନମୋହନ ମହାପାତ୍ର, 10 November 1951 – 13 January 2020)[1] was an Odia filmmaker, director, producer, and writer. He won eight consecutive national film awards for his films Nishita Swapna, Majhi Pahacha, Tired Afternoon, Neeraba Jhada, Seeta Raati, and Bhinna Samaya, among others.[2]
Manmohan Mahapatra ମନମୋହନ ମହାପାତ୍ର | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-11-10)10 November 1951 |
| Died | 13 January 2020(2020-01-13) (aged 68) Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India |
| Occupation | Director, writer, producer |
| Awards | 8 National Film Awards Padma Shri |
His first film Seeta Raati made in 1976 was the first Odia film to be screened at international film festival in 1982.[2][3][4]
On 13 January 2020, Mahapatra died in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar at age 68 after battling prolonged kidney and heart ailments .[5]
Manmohan Mahapatra is the recipient of India's highly prestigious award Padma Shri 2020 for his work in the field of art.[6][7]
Mahapatra studied film making at the FTII, Pune, and made a first short film Anti-Memoirs (Anti-Memories) in 1975. He made his first full-fledged Odia film Seeta Raati as a director in 1976. It won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Odia and was screened at international film festival in 1982 — making it the first Odia film to be screened at foreign film festival.[8][9]
He made couple of short films and then directed Neerab Jhada that won him another National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Odia out of eight consecutive national awards for best feature film in Odia.[2][3]
He also directed a few Hindi films, notably — Bits and Pieces starring Nandita Das, Rahul Bose, and Dia Mirza.[4][10]
Mahapatra has the distinct and unique achievement in the Odia Cinema history of winning as many as eight consecutive national film awards.
Manmohan Mohapatra made his first film Sitarati in 1976 – It was in 1982 that Manmohan Mohapatra's Sita Rati was screened at an international film festival. It was the first Odia film to get such an honour.
Doyen of Odia humanist cinema Mahapatra has made the film in his signature style
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