CUTTACK/BHUBANESWAR: Noted Odia music director, composer and actor Swaroop Naik passed away while undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital here on Friday. He was 76 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Born on February 8, 1946, Swaroop hailed from a family that was into film production. He was the younger brother of veteran Odia filmmaker and popular lyricist of the 60s and 70s Sarada Prasanna Naik and legendary Parbati Ghose. Swaroop forrayed into Odia as a child artiste in 1962 with the film ‘Jaydev’.
In 1968, he acted as a comedian in ‘Stree’ which was directed by Parbati and her husband Gour Prasad Ghose. “He acted in a song ‘Kali Juga Krushna Muhin Tu Mo Heroine’ sung by Akshaya Mohanty and was much appreciated for it,” recalls director Pranab Das, who made his first film ‘Sesha Pratikshya’ in 1979 with Swaroop, Bijay Mohanty, Ajit Das and Gloria Mohanty.
“I loved Swaroop for his comedy; he was a versatile actor. Most importantly, he wrote good lyrics. Although he was inspired by Akshaya Mohanty for his colloquial Odia songs, he carved a niche for himself,” Das said. He acted in six films.
Naik first composed music for a film ‘Hira Nila’ in 1984 and went on to compose music for around 41 Odia films and wrote songs for 30 others. Swaroop won the State Film Award for both best lyrics and best music in 1995, 1999, 2002 and 2005.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan condoled Swaroop’s death. He will be cremated with state honours on Saturday.