Manmohan Mahapatra
Manmohan Mahapatra (10 November 1951 – 13 January 2020) was an Indian filmmaker from Odisha. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Odia new wave cinema, working as a director, writer and producer in Odia and some Hindi films.
Born in Khordha, Odisha, Mahapatra studied filmmaking at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. He made his first short film, Anti-Memoirs, in 1975, and his first feature, Seeta Raati, in 1976. Seeta Raati won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Odia and was the first Odia film to be shown at an international film festival in 1982.
Mahapatra won eight National Film Awards for Odia cinema, including for Nishita Swapna, Majhi Pahacha, Klanta Aparahna, Neeraba Jhada, Seeta Raati and Bhinna Samaya. He also directed Hindi films, notably Bits and Pieces, starring Nandita Das, Rahul Bose and Dia Mirza.
In addition to directing, he wrote several films (including Seeta Raati, Neeraba Jhada and Klanta Aparahna) and produced works like Neeraba Jhada and Forbidden Dream. He is remembered as a key figure in the Odia film movement.
Mahapatra passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 13 January 2020 at age 68 after kidney and heart problems. In 2020, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to the arts. His work left a lasting impact on Odia cinema and its modern era.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 19:59 (CET).