Veteran Bengali Actor Kalyan Chatterjee Dies At 81 After Battling Prolonged Illness

Veteran Bengali actor Kalyan Chatterjee, celebrated for his remarkable contribution to both Bengali and Hindi cinema, passed away late Sunday night after a prolonged illness. He was 81. The West Bengal Motion

Picture Artists Forum confirmed that he had been receiving treatment at MR Bangur Super Speciality Hospital, where he died. Chatterjee had been battling typhoid along with several age-related complications.

Family members told PTI that he had been bedridden for quite some time and had stayed away from acting for the past few years due to ongoing health issues. His body was taken directly from the hospital to the Keoratala crematorium, where the last rites were performed.

Born in 1942 in Berhampore, Murshidabad, Chatterjee was drawn to acting from an early age. He trained at the Film Institute in Pune before making his screen debut in Tapan Sinha’s 1968 film Apanjan. Across a prolific five-decade career, he appeared in more than 400 films, mostly in supporting roles. His notable work includes Dhonyi Meye, Sagina Mahato, Dui Prithibi, Sabuj Dwiper Raja, Baishe Srabon, Safed Haathi, and he also featured in Satyajit Ray’s Pratidwandi.

Chatterjee collaborated with many of Bengali cinema’s biggest stars, including Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Ranjit Mallick and Dipankar De. He also acted in Hindi films, most notably Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani. On television and OTT, he was seen in popular shows such as Ek Akasher Niche and Tansener Tanpura.

The Artists Forum expressed its condolences in a statement: “One of our most valued members, Kalyan Chattopadhyay, has left us. We are deeply shocked. May his soul rest in peace.”

His contemporaries include Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabitri Chattopadhyay and Dipankar De.