Hyderabad: One of Bengal's most celebrated actors Soumitra Chatterjee left a sea of his fans in sorrow. Best known for his collaboration with Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray and the Feluda series, Soumitra was not only an actor of substance but a cultural icon, a national treasure, and among the trailblazers of Indian art cinema. He was also the first Indian film personality conferred with France's highest award for artists, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Born in Mirzapur Street (now known as Surya Sen Street) near Sealdah Railway Station, a locality in Kolkata in 1935, Soumitra Babu started acting since his school days by participating in various school plays and dramas. Encouraged by the praise he received for his acting, gradually his interest in theatre graduated with passing years, thus in late school years, he took acting seriously.
The debonair actor and screen idol of the 60s and 70s, was introduced by the venerable Satyajit Ray in Apur Sansar, the final film of the Apu Trilogy. The first film of that trilogy, Pather Panchali, is counted among the best films ever made.
When Ray introduced the Charulata actor to films, he was a radio announcer and had only played a small role in a Bengali stage production.
A favourite of the revered director, Chatterjee made 15 films with Ray spanning their association to over three decades.
Apparently, many stories and screenplays were written by Ray keeping Chatterjee in mind. He featured as 'Feluda' - Ray's cherished private investigator from Kolkata - in two films made from the Feluda series of children's books written by Ray. The first was Sonar Kella (1974) followed by Joy Baba Felunath, four years later.
Other Ray-Chatterjee classics include Teen Kanya, Aranyer Din Ratri, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Ghare Baire (an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name) and Shakha Proshakha. The versatile actor aced the portrayal of diverse characters - from urban to radical revolutionary to mentally handicapped son of an ageing patriarch.
Apart from Ray, the Ashani Sanket actor has worked with all internationally acclaimed directors of his time, including Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar.
Besides acing all the protagonist roles in variant flicks, Chatterjee didn't hesitate to essay antagonist roles with equal brilliance. He was seen featuring negative roles in films including like Protishodh, Kakababu Here Gelen, Agun and Jhinder Bondi.
Chatterjee has received many awards and honours, including the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, national awards and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna. Yet, he is best known for his collaboration with Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray and the Feluda series.
The Ganashatru actor had completed a series in the last week of September and was shooting for Parambrata Chattopadhyay’s film Abhijaan. He was filming his biopic and a documentary on his life for the last month.
Chatterjee passed away on Sunday and the medical board at the Kolkata hospital where he was for over a month announced the news. He was 85.
