Atal Bihari Panda

Atal Bihari Panda (1928/9 – 5 June 2021) was an Indian actor, playwright and lyricist, known for his works in Sambalpuri odia Cinema. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including two back-to-back Odisha State Film Awards for best actor. His debut in films came at an age of 83 years. Before his debut as an actor in films, he had already written 60 plays. He also wrote lyrics in many Sambalpuri songs.

Early works He acted in over 100 plays apart from writing over 65 dramas in the Sambalpuri language. He also worked as a playwright in six operas. Initially director Sabyasachi Mohapatra approached him to write dialogue for the film Sala Budha. The director was looking for the protagonist for that film but he could not find one so he approached Atal to play the lead role and Panda agreed.

Career Atal Bihari Panda, Author Iti Samanta, Actor Papu Pom Pom (From left to right) during State Film Awards 2014. He made his debut in film 'Sala Budha' in lead role and the film was directed by Sabyasachi Mohapatra in 2013. He won the Best actor award for the film Sala Budha at Odisha State Film awards. In 2014, he again got the chance to work with the director Sabyasachi Mohapatra in the film "Aadim Vichar", which was a sequel to "Sala Budha". He appeared again in the lead role in the third installment of Sala Budha film series titled "Sala Budhar Badla" released on 17 January 2020.

Filmography Year Film Role Notes ref 2013 Sala Budha Gauntia Budha 25th Odisha State Film Award for Best Actor 2014 Aadim Vichar Kandha Budha 26th Odisha State Film Award for Best Actor 2020Sala Budhar BadlaGauntia Budha

Awards Year Award Film Category Result Ref 2013 25th Odisha State Film Award Sala Budha Best Actor 2014 26th Odisha State Film Award Aadim Vichar Best Actor Best dialogue writer

Death On 5 June 2021, Atal Bihari Panda died from COVID-19 at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. He was 92 years old.