KOLKATA, Nov 15 - Legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who strode Bengali cinema like a colossus and took it to the world, died on Sunday after losing a fierce 40-day battle with post-COVID ailments at a city hospital, bringing curtains down on the final chapter of Bengali cinema�s golden era. He was 85.
Chatterjee is a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2012) and Padma Bhushan (2004). He was also honoured with the Legion d�Honneur, the highest civilian award of France, in 2018 for his contribution to world cinema.
The thespian is survived by wife Deepa Chatterjee, daughter Poulomi Basu and son Sougata Chatterjee.
The actor was admitted to the hospital on October 6 after he tested positive for the infection. He was later shifted to ICU as COVID encephalopathy set in, affecting his central nervous system and causing renal dysfunction.
�We declare with a heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12:15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (November 15 2020). We pay our homage to his soul,� the hospital said in a statement.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and minister Indranil Sen had rushed to Belle Vue Clinic after the news broke. Paying homage to the celebrated actor, the chief minister said Chatterjee was a �fighter who will be celebrated for his work.�
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the many who mourned the death of the thespian. Modi said Chatterjee�s demise is a colossal loss to the world of cinema, and cultural life of West Bengal and India.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled Chatterjee�s death and said the veteran actor took Bengali cinema to new heights. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also condoled Chatterjee�s death.
As news of his death spread, hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital to take a final glimpse of their much-loved �Feluda� � a strapping, handsome Bengali sleuth � brought to life by Satyajit Ray, and immortalised by Chatterjee in Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath.
Few people were seen reciting Chatterjee�s favourite poems penned by Rabindranath Tagore, as the hearse van reached his Golf Green residence.
After his wife, family members and relatives paid their last respects, his body was taken to the Technicians� Studio where actors and directors paid their floral tributes. Flowers were showered on the hearse van as it moved past the Tollygunge studio � a place he would visit regularly for the last six decades.
From there, Chatterjee�s mortal remains were taken to Rabindra Sadan � the cultural hub of Kolkata � where his fans and admirers poured in to offer their tributes. The celebrated actor began his final journey to Keoratola crematorium in south Kolkata at 6:30 pm. His mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours.
In a career spanning six decades, Chatterjee has acted in more than 300 films. Mentored by auteur Satyajit Ray, the thespian will go down in history as the last of the Mohicans of the golden era of Indian celluloid who along with Ray took Bengali cinema to the world.
�He was an actor par excellence... He was meticulous about everything... a perfectionist,� film director Sandip Ray, son of Satyajit Ray, said. His co-actor in several films, Aparna Sen, said Chatterjee was family to her. �I still can�t believe that he is no longer with us,� she said.
Sharmila Tagore, who had shared screen space with Chatterjee in Ray�s Apur Sansar, Devi and Aranyer Din Ratri, recalled many happy moments that she had shared with the thespian.
Both Sharmila Tagore and Chatterjee debuted in Ray�s 1959 masterpiece Apur Sansar.
Apart from being part of 14 films by Ray, Chatterjee also worked with other greats � Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar. He had made his presence felt on the stage too � as actor, playwright and director.
Standouts in his theatre career include his rendition of Shakespeare�s King Lear in Suman Mukhopadhyay�s play that earned him global accolades. He also wrote over 15 plays and directed more than 30 stage productions. � PTI
