Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee passed away at the age of 85 on Sunday after battling multiple ailments during nearly a month-long hospitalisation in Kolkata. He is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.
“We declare with heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12.15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (15 November 2020). We pay our homage to his soul,” the hospital said in its statement as quoted by a Moneycontrol report.
The legendary Bengali actor had been admitted on October 6 after he had tested positive for Covid-19.
He was then shifted to a non-Covid ITU after subsequently testing negative for the infection. The thespian however suffered from multiple complications including neurological issues and had been ‘critical’ for a while, as per media reports.
The Dada Saheb Phalke awardee was widely known for his roles as Apu and Feluda. He had debuted in Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar in 1959. Chatterjee has acted in over 300 films. The legendary actor had worked up until his hospitalisation with several of his films yet to be released, the Hindu reported.
Condolences
Multiple celebrities and fans paid homage to the actor on social media.
“Sad to hear demise of Padma Bhushan awardee #SoumitraChatterjee,Will always remember my interaction with Soft spoken actor during 54th National Award function for film #TrafficSignal, which was very encouraging & inspiring. My Condolences to his family & admirers. #OmShanti,” tweeted Madhur Bhandarkar.
“RIP Soumitra Chatterjee! You live on through your work for eternity! Thank you for the movies. A big, big loss to the world of cinema and art. An era has indeed ended with no one in sight to fill the void,” Richa Chadha tweeted.
“End of an Era for Bengali Cinema.There are too many performances of this amazing artists that has enriched our lives for decades to mention a few. World Cinema will celebrate this beautiful man & his art for eternity. Rest in peace. You r Loved and Cherished. #SoumitraChatterjee,” wrote filmmaker Onir. ( The Hindu )
