Soumitra Chatterjee, one of India’s greatest legends in cinema had many gifts. He was an actor, director, playwright, writer and a poet. He had tested positive for the Coronavirus on October 6 in Kolkata and breathed his last due to Covid complications on November 15. His funeral took place at Keoratala Crematorium in Kolkata on Sunday evening with complete police honours. Chatterjee was honoured with gun salute by the Kolkata Police. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also at the hospital this morning to be with the actor's family after his death, attended the funeral.
Also known as the ‘Mahanayak’ in Bengali, he was famous for working with the Oscar Award winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2012 and Padma Bhushan in 2004 and was also recipient who was also honoured with the Legion d'Honneur (2018) in France for his contribution to world cinema. He also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Italy.
Chatterjee was born on January 19, 1935 in Mirjapur Street (now Surya Sen Street) near Sealdah railway station, in Calcutta, before India became independent of the British Raj. Soumitra Chatterjee spent his early years in Krishnanagar, West Bengal, a town heavily influenced by playwright Dwijendralal Ray who had a promising career in theatre. Chatterjee’s grandfather followed suit and later, his father also spent some time as an amateur actor. He studied from Howrah Zila School and Calcutta, and graduated from City College, Kolkata with an honours in Bengali literature from the University of Calcutta. Chatterjee’s mentor in acting was noted actor-director of Bengali theatre, Ahindra Choudhury. However, renowned theatre director and the doyen of Bengali theatre, Sisir Bhaduri played a pivotal role in steering Chatterjee’s inclination towards pursuing acting as a career.
Subsequently, Chatterjee started working in All India Radio as an announcer and later came in touch with Ray when he was casting for his film Aparajito (1956). According to Ray, who was looking for fresh faces, Soumitra Chatterjee (who was 20 years old) was too old for the role of an adolescent Apu in Apur Sansar (The World of Apu). Ray did not forget Chatterjee. He gave him the role of adult Apu two years later in his world famous Apu trilogy. Chatterjee and Ray did fourteen films together. Ray also believed that a bearded Soumitra, resembled Rabindranath Tagore. He also lived in Ray’s old apartment at 3-lake temple road for a few years. In a career spanning over 300 films, he worked with stalwarts like Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Atanu Ghosh, Suman Ghosh, Partha Chakraborty, Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, and Utpal Dutt.
Before paving the way for his legacy as Bangla’s Grand Old Man, he also worked with John Hurt and Hugh Grant in the film, The Bengali Night, which was set in Kolkata. His twilight filmography includes: “Bela Sheshe” (2015), short film “Ahalya” (2015), “Samantaral” (2017), National Award winning “Mayurakshi” (2017), “Sanjhbati” (2019), among several others.
Amish Tripathi, Director, The Nehru Centre told Asian Voice, "Soumitra Chatterjee was a doyen of Indian cinema and a national treasure. From when he burst into the national and international consciousness with Apur Sansar, he has kept all of us transfixed with his awe-inspiring talent. He didn't just appeal to art lovers of Bengal, but also of all of India, and indeed the world. The Nehru Centre remembers this great actor, director, playwright, writer and poet, and we intend to host an online homage to him soon."
Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director British Council, East and Northeast India, said: “Soumitra Chattopadhyay was Bengal’s éminence grise in culture, a protean talent who combined the worlds of film, theatre, literature, publishing and art in his tall presence. British Council India is privileged to partner Indian High Commission, Nehru Centre and Bengal Heritage Foundation in this programme commemorating Soumitra Chattopadhyay. On stage, his performance in the title role of Raja Lear, directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, was possibly one of the finest renderings of Shakespeare’s King Lear on stage in any language. He launched Nemai Ghosh and Andrew Robinson’s landmark book, Satyajit Ray: A Vision of Cinema, at an unforgettable event at British Council Library. His iconic cultural presence will be missed in India and the UK, especially those who follow film, theatre and literature closely.”
“No one represented the quintessential Bengali gentleman better than Soumitra Chatterjee - intellectual, self-confident, sensitive, charming with diverse interests. Soumitra’s work with Ray put Bengali and Indian cinema on the global map - like nothing else before or since. What attracts me to Soumitra is his versatile talent from acting both on stage and films to his poetry and elocution to the playwright and writer he was. For the global Bengali diaspora, Soumitra was the link that connected one to the roots. We at Bengal Heritage Foundation are coming together with Indian High Commission, London, British Council India, Nehru Centre London and Kolkata Literary Meet to Reminisce Soumitra on Sunday 29th November | 3 pm with luminaries from Indian and Bengali cinema and theatre. This will be the third chapter of our Think Tank series. The session will reflect on his early collaboration with Ray, his work on stage, his impact on the next generation and his lasting legacy,” Sourav Niyogi, President, Bengal Heritage Foundation told Asian Voice.
In her homage to the actor, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee tweeted, “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.”
His Apur Sansar co-star and friend Sharmila Tagore told PTI, “I was 13 and he was 10 years elder to me when we started working in ‘Apur Sansar.’ I really respected and admired him for what he stood for. He was one of my oldest friends, after Tiger (husband) and Shashi Kapoor. He has been such a loyal and fun friend. But I know he will live forever in our memories because his legacy is so immense. It encompasses so much. He wasn’t only an actor. He would paint, sing, was well read, had immense knowledge of theatre, he would write poetries and short stories for his grandchildren. His interests were vast.”
Amitava Nag, the author of the biography of Chatterjee once said that he was “the thinking man’s hero. He was an intellectual and a poet.” Nag once asked Chatterjee if he felt burdened by the duty to entertain his audience, to which Soumitra replied, “Very seldom. This is my job.” His audience today and forever will feel the irreplaceable void that he has left in Indian cinema. His intense acting skills, warmth and persona shall be truly missed.
So long, Apu.
