One of the legendary pillars of Indian & Bengali Cinema, Soumitra Chatterjee breathed his last at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was hospitalized since October 6. In spite of having recuperated from the illness, his health kept fluctuating, and at last he succumbed to multi-organ failure. Doctors had on November 13 said that he had stopped responding to treatment.

“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 had said in a statement.

He had begun his career in Cinema with the incredible director Satyajit Ray, who went on to win Oscars. Chatterjee went on to work with Ray in 14 movies. In a career traversing six decades, he was having major roles in over 200 Bengali movies, under the guidance of the best directors. He was cremated with state honours on Sunday, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in attendance.

Having a magnificent on-screen presence, actor Soumitra Chatterjee believed that Leftist ideology was the only alternative to the prevalent political circumstances within the nation and he never hesitated from communicating his ideological beliefs and standpoints.

Director Satyajit Ray chose Chatterjee to act in his political movies such as “HirakRajarDeshe” (1980), “GhareBaire” (1984), and “Ganashatru” (1989) to bring different socio-political issues to the fore. The chorus of ‘Dori Dhore maro tan’ in the movie Hirak Rajar Deshe, still resonates with people involved in protests against dictatorial figures. The only free-thinking character of Udayan Pandit played by Chatterjee in Hirak Rajar Deshe had been a landmark role in the actor’s life.

The title of the article that Chatterjee had penned for this year’s Durga Puja version of Ganashakti, the Bengali mouthpiece of the West Bengal CPI (M), was “Ekhono Biswas Kori, Bamponthai Bikolpo (I still believe, that Leftist philosophy is the alternative)”. It was one of the last articles written by the artist who passed away due to post-COVID complications on Sunday.

Apart from Satyajit Ray, he had worked with a range of producers such as Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar, Ajoy Kar, and Dinen Gupta. There were many vital movies not just in his oeuvre and filmography but also within the history of well-known as well as arthouse Bengali cinema. This made a difference for Chatterjee to straddle both worlds of commercial and critically acclaimed cinema and find success in both the streams. Chatterjee himself never favoured these distinctions, as his filmography uncovers. His conviction was best reflected within the characters that he immortalized on the screen while charting a different path from his counterparts, particularly the superstar of Bengali cinema, Uttam Kumar. His on-screen portrayal of the detective Feluda under the direction of Satyajit Ray has been a landmark and has been permanently etched out in the minds of Bengalis and Cinema-lovers across generations.

As far as Indian awards are concerned, Soumitra Chatterjee had won three National Awards, the Padma Bhushan, Banga Bibhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke award and numerous others over his glittering career. He had also been honoured with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest award for artists by the France government.

Unlike many celebrities, he was vocal about his views and spoke out on controversial issues such as societal intolerance and the demonetization exercise of 2016. He had been a staunch and vocal critic of BJP and Congress parties. After the fallout of the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram in 2007, when the state’s intelligentsia was politically divided and a large section of them had hit the streets against the erstwhile Left Front regime, Chatterjee had then stood by the CPI(M), despite it facing criticism from various quarters.

Paying a tribute to the iconic actor of Bengali cinema, Amitabh Bachchan shared a picture of himself and the late actor and described him as “one of the mightiest pillars of the film industry.”

Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, expressed his grief and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to his family and fans.

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

“Shri Soumitra Chatterjee”s death is a colossal loss to the world of cinema, the cultural life of West Bengal, and India. Through his works, he came to embody Bengali sensibilities, emotions, and ethos. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” Modi said. Union Home Minister, Amit Shah tweeted, “Deeply pained to learn about the demise of legendary Soumitra Chatterjee Ji. An iconic actor who took Bengali cinema to new heights. In Soumitra Da, Indian silver screen has lost a gem. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and countless followers. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti”.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness