Comedy Queen Runu Dead

CUTTACK: Popular actor Runu aka Sadhana Parija died following a heart attack at her Bidanasi residence here on Friday. She had complained of chest pain and discomfort at her house and succumbed on way to hospital. She was 51. She is survived by her director husband Himanshu Parija and a daughter.

Runu acted in more than 70 films portraying characters of all hues and was popular for her comic as well as negative characters.

Born to theatre actors Bholanath Das and Krishna,  she took to the stage at the age of 17, receiving acclaim for several plays. A trained Odissi dancer from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Runu made her on-screen debut with ‘Batasi Jhada’ but true recognition came with popular song “Bagicha ra naa ti Tinikonia Bagicha” with Jayee in the film ‘Panjuri Bhitare Saari’. She also won State Award for acting in ‘Laxman Rekha’. Besides films, she was a prominent TV personality with several popular serials.

The film industry has condoled her untimely demise.