KOLKATA: Political leaders and celebrities from across the political and cultural spectrum, cinema lovers from across the country and even beyond its borders and common people from all over West Bengal mourned and grieved as actor Soumitra Chatterjee breathed his last at around 12.15 pm on Sunday.
The thespian is survived by wife Deepa Chatterjee, daughter Poulomi Basu and son Sougata Chatterjee.
PM Narendra Modi and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led in expressing condolence at the demise of the 85-year-old Dadasaheb Phalke awardee.
“Soumitra Chatterjee’s death is a colossal loss to the world of cinema, cultural life of West Bengal and India. Through his work, he came to embody Bengali sensibilities, emotion and ethos. Anguished by his demise. Condolence to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi tweeted.
Mamata, in her twitter tribute, 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 has lost a giant. We will miss him dearly. The film world in Bengal has been orphaned. Best known for his films with Satyajit Ray, Soumitra Da was conferred with Legion of Honor, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Banga Bibhushan, Padma Bhushan and several National Awards.
A great loss. Saddened. Condolences to his family, the film fraternity and his admirers across the world.”
Sandip Ray, son of director Satyajit Ray, another cinema legend who cast Chatterjee in 14 of his iconic movies, said he had lost a family member. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJP chief J P Nadda were among those who paid tributes.
Home minister Amit Shah tweeted both in Bengali and English dmourning his loss. The CM was present at Rabindra Sadan where people from the Bengali film fraternity and fans turned up to pay their last homage to the legend. She walked all the way to the crematorium at Keoratala in south Kolkata along with hundreds of fans who walked with candles and portraits of the actor reciting poems and singing Rabindranath Tagore’s song. As the flower-bedecked hearse reached the crematorium, he was given a gun salute and his mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours.