Eminent film director Buddhadeb Dasgupta passed away in his sleep following a cardiac arrest on Thursday morning. The 77-year-old filmmaker who has been suffering from kidney ailments for a long time is survived by his wife and two daughters from his earlier marriage.
According to his family members, Dasgupta’s wife Sohini found him motionless at around 6 am.
Condolences poured in for the national award-winning director from both the political circle and the film fraternity. Condoling his death West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, “Saddened at the passing away of eminent filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Through his works, he infused lyricism into the language of cinema. His death comes as a great loss for the film fraternity. Condolences to his family, colleagues and admirers.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the veteran filmmaker's demise. “Anguished by the demise of Shri Buddhadeb Dasgupta. His diverse works struck a chord with all sections of society. He was also an eminent thinker and poet. My thoughts are with his family and several admirers in this time of grief. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.
Noted actor and filmmaker Aparna Sen said that she was sad for not being able to bid farewell to Dasgupta at the crematorium due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown-like restrictions. “I had done it when Mrinal Sen passed away but could not do it for Buddhadeb Dasgupta due to the pandemic,” she said.
Noted Bengali actor Prasnjit Chatterjee described Dasgupta “as a great human being.” “Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with him in two films. I attended many film festivals with him and got to know how much his genre of cinema is appreciated in the international arena. Buddha da is also a great human being. Stay well and stay with us through your work,” stated Chatterjee in a message in Bengali on Twitter.
The winner of 12 National Film Awards, Dasgupta was born in 1944 in the Purulia district. Starting his career as a lecturer, he stepped into film making after becoming a member of the Calcutta Film Society in the 70s.
His first feature film was Dooratwa made in 1978. Among his notable films are Grihajuddha, Charachar, Uttara, Janala and Kaalpurush.
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