Jharana Das (, 1945 – 2 December 2022) was an Indian

Ollywood Odia cinema, also known as Ollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Odia language widely spoken in the state of Odisha. Odia Cinema is based in Cuttack in Odisha, India. The name Olly ...

actress and journalist. She was known for her contributions to the Odia film industry.

Life and career

Jharana Das started her career in the 1960s as a child artist and announcer for

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...

where she produced creative content across drama, song and film. She later also worked as an assistant station director of Doordarshan in Cuttack. ''

Times Now Times Now is an English-language news channel in India owned and operated by The Times Group. The channel launched on 23 January 2006 in partnership with Reuters. It is a pay television throughout India. Until 2016, it was India's most popula ...

'' stated that Das "chose a career in the movies at a time when not many chose to walk the path" and reported that she had to deal with family opposition to follow her calling. Her brother, who was in the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

, convinced their family to allow Jharana to pursue her choice. She had taken voice culture training in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

which may have added a dimension to her performance in films. When she switched to acting, she became well known for her performances in films such as '' Amadu Bata'', ''Bari'', '' Sri Jagannath'', ''

Adina Megha ''Adina Megha'' (1970), (English: ''The Unwanted Cloud'') is a classic Odia film directed by Amit Maitra. Cast Source: * Prashanta Nanda – Suresh Mahapatra * Jharana Das – Champak Das * Sandhya as Urmi Das * Samuel Sahu as Nari Mahap ...

'', and '' Abhinetri''. Other roles include '' Hisab Nikas'', ''Pujafula'', '' Malajanha'', and ''Heera Nella'', for which she won many awards. Overall, she appeared in approximately 40 films as the female lead. She was also credited for directing a biographical documentary film on

Harekrushna Mahatab Harekrushna Mahatab (born Harekrushna Das, 21 November 1899 – 2 January 1987) was the leader of the Indian National Congress, a notable figure in the Indian independence movement and the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and from 1956 ...

, a freedom fighter and former chief minister. She was the winner of the Lifetime Contribution Award of Jaydev Puraskar in 1977 and a beneficiary of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award for lifetime achievement in 2016. She was also assistant station director of

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

in Cuttack and a trained classical dancer. Her husband was the cameraman on her film ''Malajanha''.

Death

Das died at her residence in Cuttack on 2 December 2022. Her death was recognised by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

Droupadi Murmu Droupadi Murmu (born Durgi Biranchi Tudu; 20 June 1958) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the president of India since 2022. She won the 2022 Indian presidential election, 2022 presidential election as the Bharatiya Janata Party ...

. Odisha Chief Minister

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...

also expressed grief over the death of the actress and announced that her last rites will be performed with full state honours. Patnaik said in a statement Union Education Minister

Dharmendra Pradhan Dharmendra Pradhan (born 26 June 1969) is an Indian politician who has served as the Minister of Education since his appointment in July 2021. He has previously held the portfolios of Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (2017– ...

also gave condolences over Das's death.

Explanatory notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Jharana 1945 births 2022 deaths People from Cuttack district Actresses in Odia cinema Indian actresses