Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee passes away

His legendary partnership with Satyajit Ray comprised of 14 films, and he also acted in 300 others

Legendary Bengali actor Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Soumitra Chatterjee passed away on Sunday due to multiple ailments at the age of 85.

One of the brightest film luminaries in the country, and known to film students across the globe, Chhaterjee died at a private hospital in the city after a 40-day-long battle first against Covid-19, and then with several other health complications, including neurological and kidney disorders. He is survived by his wife Deepa Chatterjee, daughter Poulomi Basu, and son Sougata Chatterjee.

“'Feluda' is no more. 'Apu' said goodbye. Farewell, Soumitra (Da) Chatterjee. He has been a legend in his lifetime. International, Indian and Bengali cinema has lost a giant. We will miss him dearly. The film world in Bengal has been orphaned,” tweeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Often referred to as the “alter ego” of film maestro Satyajit Ray, the suave actor’s perfectionist approach can perhaps best be summed up by the famous phrase “mogojastro”, or brain power, which was used to describe the keen observation and analytical ability of his character of the iconic silver screen sleuth Feluda. The character was a creation of Ray.

Born on January 19,1935, Chatterjee discovered his passion for acting when he watched a play by legendary Bengali thespian Shishir Kumar Bhaduri during his college days. He made his silver screen debut in ‘Apur Sansar’( 1959), the concluding movie of Ray’s famous Apu trilogy. He proved his mettle not only to the national audience but also to the global cinema fraternity. The sight of him as a man with a thick stubble and carrying his son on his shoulders made an everlasting impression on film enthusiasts.

His legendary partnership with Ray comprised of 14 films and he also acted in 300 others. One of the high points of Chatterjee’s partnership with Ray was his portrayal of the sophisticated and soft spoken Bengali sleuth Pradosh Chandra Mitter popularly known by his nickname Feluda. Despite being well versed in martial arts, Feldua preferred to solve cases with brain rather than brawn. Ray directed two Feluda movies-Sonar kella (1974) and Joy Baba Felunath (1978) with Chatterjee in the lead role. His other notable movies with Ray include Devi (1960), Arayner Din Ratri (1970) and ‘Ghrare Baire’.He also worked with film maestros such as Tapan Sinha, Mrinal Sen and Tarun Majumdar.

From essaying the role of the intellectual sleuth Chatterjee went on to portray the famous character of a swimming coach Khidda in the National Award winning movie Kony. His dialogue to encourage his student “fight Kony! Fight” has become iconic as an example of indomitable spirit.

However, he was not just confined to portraying positive characters. His performance in the film Jhinder Bondi (Prisoner of Jhind) as the suave villain Mayurbahan thrilled the audience.

Tributes poured in for the Légion d' honneur (the highest civilian award in France awardee from people of all walks of life. Condoling his death Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as “a colossal loss to the world of cinema, cultural life of West Bengal and India.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled his death.

The film and theater fraternity mourned the death of the Padma Bhushan awardee. His first heroine in his debut movie Apur Sansar, Sharmila Tagore, fondly remembered him as a “charming person well versed in several fields such as cinema, theater and recitation. He was a rare man with an ability to speak on any subject at length.”

“Tragic loss!! Rest in peace Sir!! Your contribution to the Indian Cinema will always be remembered and inspire the generations to come,” tweeted actor Manoj Bajpayee.