Sadhana Parija, popularly known as Runu Apa, was well-known for her comic & character roles in Odia films.

Starting her journey on-stage at Annapurna Theatre, she jumped into the Odia film industry with her debut in ‘Batasi Jhada’. From there, she never looked back and ended up starring in close to 80 films. Her on-screen chemistry with comic actor Jayi was thoroughly enjoyed by viewers.

Runu was born to theatre actors Bholanath Das and Krishna and started her stage career at just 17 years old, wowing audiences with her performance in several plays. Aside from her theatrical skills, she was also a trained Odissi dancer from the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi.

She made her cinema debut in 1978 with ‘Batas Jhada’, but her breakthrough came with her performance in the catchy song ‘Bagicha Ra Naa Tinikonia’, in which she was paired with the comic actor Braja Singh in the film ‘Daiba Daudi’.

Runu also starred in a string of movies, including titles like ‘Jaga Balia’, ‘Jor Jar Mulak Tar’, ‘Bhuli Huena’, ‘Laxman Rekha’, ‘Ganga Jamuna’, and ‘Suna Palinki’, among others. Her last movie was ‘Puni Dekha Heba Ara Janamare’ in 2014.

Runu’s exceptional talent won her the State Award for her role in ‘Laxman Rekha’. Apart from films, she was a well-known figure on the small screen too, appearing in popular TV series like ‘Tapasya’ on ETV and ‘Tosha Nohila Mo Chitta’ on Doordarshan. Truly, Runu’s contributions to the world of art and entertainment are something to be admired!

Runu, popularly known in her career, began as Sadhana Das. When she got married, she adopted ‘Parija’ as her new surname. Runu is survived by her husband, noted film director Himanshu Parija (Chandi) and a daughter. Sadhana Parija is the sister-in-law to the legendary actor and director Hara Pattnaik.