Funeral of Soumitra Chatterjee: Mamata Banerjee to Rabindra Sadan. (courtesy ANI)
Strong points
- Soumitra Chatterjee died on Sunday afternoon
- He died at Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata, where he has been admitted since October
- His funeral took place at the Keoratala crematorium
New Delhi:
One of the biggest players in the Bengali film industry, Soumitra Chatterjee died Sunday afternoon in Kolkata. The actor, 85, died 40 days after being admitted to the Belle Vue clinic in Kolkata with COVID-19. His funeral was held at Keoratala Crematorium in Kolkata on Sunday evening with police honors. He was honored with salute by the Kolkata police. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also in hospital this morning to be with the actor’s family after his death, attended the funeral. Several cinema personalities from the Bengali film industry were also present. The final rites of Soumitra Chatterjee were preceded by a funeral procession of Rabindra Sadan to the Keoratala crematorium, attended by hundreds of fans, Bengali cinema celebrities and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
After his death, Mr Chatterjee’s body was transported from the hospital to his Golf Green residence and then to the Technician Studio in Tollygunge. In the afternoon, Soumitra Chatterjee’s body was transported to Rabindra Sadan, the hub of Bengali cinema, where many fans paid their final respects.
During the funeral procession of Soumitra Chatterjee, artists and celebrities paid tribute to the late actor by reciting poems composed by him and singing Rabindra Sangeet, creating a dismal but surreal atmosphere.
Soumitra Chatterjee was admitted to the Belle Vue Clinic on October 6, a day after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The actor tested negative shortly after a week on October 14, but his health deteriorated afterward. He was put on multiple life support systems this week after he stopped responding to treatment. “Soumitra Chatterjee does not respond to treatment. Even miracles can fail in this situation,” a doctor treating thespian at the hospital said in a medical bulletin on Saturday.
On Sunday, an official statement on his death read: “We declare with a heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last breath at 12:15 pm at the Belle Vue clinic today (November 15, 2020). We pay homage to his soul.”
Soumitra Chatterjee, in his six-decade film career, has worked in critically acclaimed Bengali films and collaborated with iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray 14 times for films as Apur Sansar, Charulata, Devi, Teen Kanya, Ghare Baire, and Ganashatru. He was best known for playing the roles of Apu in Apur Sansar and Feluda in Satyajit Ray’s movies Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath. Soumitra Chatterjee has also been directed by other big names in Bengali cinema, including Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar. His last big screen release was in 2019 Sanjhbati.
