Mohanty was born at
Karanjia, located in
Mayurbhanj in
Odisha, to Abdul Aziz Khan and Harapriya Ray. Her father was the district magistrate of Karanjia at the time, and she grew up in
Sambalpur with her two elder sisters. Her mother was the Zoology professor at
Gangadhar Meher University. Her paternal grandfather Maulavi Abdus Sobhan Khan, who originally hailed from Mirzapur, located in
Bhadrak, was the Law minister of the
Orissa Province from 1941 till 1944 under the premiership of
Krushna Chandra Gajapati. Her uncle Rajkishore Ray is a popular literary person in Odisha, whose daughter
Mahasweta Ray is her cousin. She married Odia actor
Uttam Mohanty in 1987. Her son
Babushan Mohanty is also an actor and singer in Odia film Industry. == Acting career ==