Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12:15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata on Sunday. He was 85.
The octogenarian actor's health condition deteriorated extremely over the past 2 days. Chattopadhyay's prolonged stay at the hospital since 6 October had taken a toll on his health.
An official statement confirming Chattopadhyay's demise said, "We declare with heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12-15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (Sunday). We pay our homage to his soul."
After his death, he was taken to Robindro Sodon from Bellevue Nursing Home in Kolkata, where people paid their homage to the legendary actor. From there, he was taken to Keoratola Sashanghat for his cremation.
The 85-year-old Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and one of the most celebrated actors in Bengali cinema was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Kolkata's Belle Vue Hospital for almost 40 days.
The legendary actor's condition was "very critical and grim" and last efforts to revive him were being made by the teams of doctors treating him at a private hospital in Kolkata.
On 5 October, Chattopadhyay had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and got admitted to the hospital the very next morning.
Chattopadhyay was shooting for a documentary titled Abhijan directed by actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay. Last time he attended the shooting floor at Bharatlaxmi Studio was on 1 October.
Soumitra Chattopadhyay was born in 1935. He was simultaneously a producer, storyteller, poet, reciter. He was also a great actor on stage. He started his career as a voice artist. Later, in 1959, he got a call for a movie for Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray's 'Apur Sansar'.
Soumitra Chattopadhyay had an illustrious career and was conferred with many accolades including the Dada Saheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan Award. He was bestowed with France's highest civilian award, the Legion of Honour, in the year 2018.
He had worked in acclaimed films like Ashani Sanket, Ghare Baire, Aranyer Din Ratri, Charulata, Shakha Proshakha, Jhinder Bandi and Saat Pake Bandha, among others.
