Partha Mukherjee breathes his last at 70

Kolkata: Veteran actor Partha Mukherjee died at a private nursing home on Monday. He was 70 and is survived by his wife Ashima Bhattacharya, a well-known composer.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Saddened at the passing away of veteran actor Partha Mukherjee. My deepest condolences to his family and fans."

He was suffering from Kidney ailment since November and was admitted to the hospital where he breathed his last on Monday morning.

Mukherjee shot to fame in Tapan Sinha's Aatithi. He participated in Venice Film Festival for this movie. Unfortunately, he missed the best actor award by a few votes. He also acted in Sinha's Apan Jan. As a child artiste, he acted in Chitta Basu's Maa in 1958.

Known to carry himself well both in comedy and serious roles, Mukherjee at one time was an automatic choice as Uttam Kumar's on-screen brother or son. He had acted in three of Uttam Kumar's popular films which include Dhonyi Meye (1971), Agnishwar (1975) and Bagh Bandi Khela (1975).

Mukherjee will be remembered for his acting in Balika Badhu (1967) along with Moushumi Chatterjee, Anup Kumar and Jahar Roy. Directed by Tarun Majumdar and music composed by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, the movie was a superhit.

Born in a conservative family in Bhowanipore on September 21, 1947, Mukherjee passed higher secondary examination from Chakraberia High School. Later, he graduated in Commerce from Charu Chandra College. Mukherjee was a singer. He had also acted in some television serials.