Bhubaneswar: Bijay Mohanty’s demise has left a huge void in the Odia film and theatre industry. Bijay Mohanty has acted in many films and plays that will forever be etched in the minds of people. One such play was ‘Thank you Mr Glad’. His close friend Ajit Das said Bijay was the epitome of ‘Gladness’. He was ‘Mr Glad’ in real life also, said Ajit.

“I have never seen him sad in our nearly 50 year-long association. He was completely at peace even in death. When I reached the hospital his eyes were open and as if he was asking me why I was so late,” said Ajit, the Hakim Babu actor while trying desperately to control his emotion.

Bijay Mohanty was not just a household name. He was and will probably remain the tallest ever star the Odia film industry has seen in terms of popularity. However, one should not forget that he was also a prolific theatre activist.

Iconic play ‘Thank You Mr Glad’

Ajit had a lot to say about the iconic play ‘Thank You Mr Glad’. “I was playing ‘Dr Veer Bhusan’, a nationalist who was sentenced to death by the British government while Bijay Babu played ‘Mr Glad’, a police officer. Glad kills Veer in the climax. It was an interesting drama which he (Bijay) had translated from Marathi play of the same name and directed it also. Even though Veer is set to be hanged in a few days in the play, Mr Glad takes the former’s help to save his pregnant daughter’s life. Moved by Veer’s gesture, Mr Glad shoots him dead. ‘You need a hero’s death instead of being just hanged like a commoner’, the British officer says to justify his action. To which Veer offers his thanks and says “Thank You Mr Glad.”

Last thank you did not happen

That may have been plot of the drama but in real life Ajit couldn’t thank his friend for a long time and probably will never be able to. “He was busy with his film assignments and couldn’t do theatre for a long time. However, a year back when we last met he showed keen interest in returning to the stage. I had a good script and he promised to act with me once he returned from Hyderabad. But he didn’t keep his words, he ‘cheated’ me and went away. So, I won’t say ‘thank you’ this time,” said Ajit with emotion choking his voice.

Time-defying friendship

Ajit’s friendship with Bijay dates back to late 1970s when both were in National School of Drama in New Delhi. Bijay was two years senior to him. After passing out of the country’s premier theatre training institute, both joined as lecturers in Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya that, over the years, has produced many eminent actors and directors like Hara Patnaik, Raimohan Parida, Minaketan Das, Ashrumochan Mohanty, Mihir Swain, Choudhury Bikash Das, Manoj Patnaik and many others.

Needless to say ‘Jaydev Award’ winning actor Bijay Mohanty was an extremely successful film star with seven state film awards and three of his films getting National Awards.  But not many people are aware that he was a committed theatre personality too who had groomed many talents.

Prominent works

In fact, after passing out of NSD, he had acted in more than 150 plays and directed as many. That apart, he has written seven plays and translated 16 major Indian plays written in Hindi, Marathi and Bengali to Odia. Prominent among them are Ebom Indrajeet, Pagla Ghoda, Thank You Mr Glad, Andha Yug, Suraj Ki Antim Kiran Se Pehli Kiran Tak. He also formed two groups ‘Yugechha’ at his native place Baripada and ‘Rangamancha’ in Bhubaneswar to promote theatre.

This is what the celebrity students of Bijay Mohanty had to speak about the legendary man.

Manoj Patnaik (Actor and director)

Most of the present crop of actors, directors and technicians has been trained by two stalwarts of the Odia theatre world – Bijay Mohanty and Ajit Das. Ajit Sir was a teacher in true sense but Bijay Sir was like a mentor, a friend, philosopher and guide. He used to call me ‘Budda’ (old man). He had the uncanny ability to explain things to students playfully

Choudhury Bikash Das (Actor and director)

We did not get much of a chance to interact with Bijay Sir much during our theory classes. However, he did a nice balancing act during the practicals. That was his orientation. He could easily make us understand the western theatre while he directed us during production of plays. I had the opportunity to see him on stage. He was playing ‘Mr Glad’, an English officer. Being a learned and sensible actor, he easily mixed up the British ascent with local dialects.

Antaryami Panda (Actor and stage designer)

There was pin drop silence at the auditorium once Bijay Sir entered the stage. He was a very cool director and kept the rehearsal room calm, he never shouted like many directors do. He would enact each and every scene during the rehearsal sessions to make it easier for his actors. Besides, he always kept us happy with proper plate loads delicious snacks.

Ashrumochan Mohanty (Actor)

It is a misconception among some outsiders that Bijay Sir never attended classes due to his shooting commitments. But the fact is he was a terrific teacher who could teach difficult topics in minimal time. Yes, he used to shoot frequently but would often give us tasks when he went on his assignments.

Mihir Swain (Actor and director)

Bijay Sir had a special quality. He was man of few words, but could get across his thoughts precisely. He was very practical. Most importantly, he never imposed himself on students. He was also a very keen observer. Like a real teacher, he could sense the area of strength in a student and encourage him to work on it.