Rita Koiral passes away at 58

Kolkata: A well-known face on TV serials and films, Rita Koiral died of cancer at a private hospital in the wee hours of Sunday. She was 58 and is survived by a daughter. The actor was diagnosed with liver cancer around two months ago. Since then, she had been admitted to the hospital several times and used to resume work after being discharged.

Koiral's claim to fame is her acting prowess in a number of films such as Asukh (1999) by Rituparno Ghosh, Paromitar Ekdin (2008) by Aparna Sen and Dutta Vs Dutta (2012) by Anjan Dutt to name a few. She was presently working in popular soaps like Rakhi Bandhan and Stree, which are currently on air.

A pall of gloom has descended on the Tollywood film industry as the news of her death spread. Her family members informed that she was taken home after chemotherapy seven days back and her condition was serious since. She was re-admitted to the hospital on late Saturday night after her condition turned critical.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed condolences. She tweeted: "Saddened to hear about the passing away of actress Rita Koiral. My condolences to her family, friends and fans. Gone too soon."

Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee was shocked at the death of Koiral too. "Really shocked and extremely upset to hear about the sudden demise of Rita Koiral. Loss for the industry. Such a powerful actress she was," Chatterjee tweeted.

Actor Rituparna Sengupta said: "She was very versatile. I had worked with her in films like Paromitar Ekdin, Sankha Sidurer Dibbi. I am really shocked. She was wonderful as a co-actor."