Renowned Oriya filmmaker Basant Nayak no more

Prominent Oriya film producer-director-distributor Basant Nayak, recipient of the State's highest honour for cinema – the Jayadev Puraskar – breathed his last in a hospital here on Monday. He was 74 and is survived by wife and three sons.

Nayak, born in 1937 in Cuttack, started as a textile engineer in Mumbai but was later attracted to the film industry. With an aim to create an identity in Oriya film industry, Nayak returned to Cuttack in the 70s, going on to make a mark as a film director and producer.

Nayak's first directorial venture was Nagaphasa' that released in 1977. After that he never looked back, going on to establish his own production house, Brajraj Movies, in the same year, under which he produced many blockbuster Oriya films.

Nayak did not confine himself to Oriya films. As a distributor, he had more than 500 films in Hindi, Bengali, and Oriya to his credit under the Brajaraj Movies banner. He also made the Hindi film ‘Spandan' that won national award as the best film on family welfare. He also made films in Bengali.

 He also create more popular actor for ollywood like
Uttam Mohanty
Anubhab (by I love you)
Arindam (by Prema rutu asilare)
Babusan (by Romio the lover boy)
Narmata Thappa (by I love you)