​Soumitra Chatterjee​ passes away at 85 after month-long hospitalisation

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee passed away on Sunday, after his nearly month-long hospitalisation at a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 85.

The legendary Bengali actor had been 'critical' for a while. The critically-acclaimed actor was admitted to the hospital on October 6 after he tested positive for Covid-19.

The Dada Saheb Phalke awardee had tested negative for the coronavirus infection on October 14 after which he was shifted to a non-COVID ITU. But, his health and neurological condition kept deteriorating.


The actor has COPD-related troubles, and had also suffered from pneumonia last year when he was admitted to the hospital for a few days.

Before the recent hospitalisation, in the last two-and-a-half months, the thespian was shooting for a biopic and a documentary titled 'Abhijan', directed by actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay.

Chatterjee is known for portraying the protagonist in many acclaimed films of maestro Satyajit Ray. He had made his film debut in 'Apur Sansar', the last of the Apu trilogy by Satyajit Ray. He went to become the favourite of the maestro who cast him in 14 films and won critical global acclaim.

The late actor is the first Indian film personality to be conferred with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's highest civilian award.