Satyajit Ray's 'Jana Aranya' actor Pradip Mukherjee passes away at 76
KOLKATA: In a busy road in Burrabazar, Somnath slips on a banana peel that Bishuda (UtpalDutt) just threw away. A mere coincidence, but Somnath, who was struggling to find a job, decides to start his own business, courtesy Bishuda. It was in 1976 that Pradip Mukherjee entered Bengali film industry with Satyajit Ray's 'Jana Aranya', the last among Calcutta trilogy series, where he played the protagonist Somnath. Since then, Mukherjee had acted in several films of leading directors, including BuddhadebDasgupta and Rituparno Ghosh, but the audiences still remember him best for his effortless performance as Somnath in 'Jana Aranya.'
At the age of 76 on Monday around 8.15 am, Mukherjee breathed his last at a hospital in Kolkata due to lung infection. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter. In her condolence message Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said his death would create a void in the Bengali cinema. She expressed her condolences to his friends, relatives and well-wishers.
Three days back, Mukherjee was admitted to a private hospital due to lung infection. However, he was then shifted to a state-run hospital on Sunday, where his condition further deteriorated. However, till August 13, the veteran actor shot for director Nirmal Chakraborty's period film 'Datta', based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel. Given the senior actor was unwell, the director kept the call time post lunch time for Mukherjee. 'Datta' also stars Rituparna Sengupta, Joy Sengupta and Shaheb Chattopadhyay. "Pradip da plays Dayal Acharya, a crucial character in 'Datta.' We shot his scenes from August 9-August 13 at Belgachia Rajbari. Though we needed him for two days, we extended the shooting to give him enough time to rest. In fact, he had suffered Covid-19 twice. So, his call time was after the lunch hour and we didn't shoot more than 2-3 scenes each day," the director told the Millennium Post. In fact, Chakraborty considers himself lucky that Mukherjee shot with him even when he was unwell. "Despite being unwell, he never complained. An actor of his caliber is rare," said Chakraborty.
Born on August 11, 1946,Mukherjee graduated from City College in Kolkata and also received a degree in law. Having been attracted to acting since college days, Mukherjee started taking drama classes and was associated with theatre. He used to act in plays and also work as a lawyer till he met Ray in 1974, who was impressed with his performance for Nakshatra Theater Group. Apart from acting, Mukherjee was also a practicing tax consultant.
Meanwhile, actor Rituparna has worked with Mukherjee on several films be it 'Dahan', 'Utsab', 'Mondo Meyer Upakhyan', 'The Parcel' and 'Datta.' She remembered how the entire team of 'Datta' celebrated Mukherjee's birthday on the set on August 11. "Even till the last day, he was on the shooting floor. He was absolutely committed to his work. Despite everything, he kept his commitment. You need to see it to believe it. We all need to learn from him how to keep the word. My last three films – 'The Parcel', 'Chhuti' and 'Datta' were with him. I have spent some of the most memorable moments with him," said Rituparna. Apart from Ray's films including 'Shakha Prasakha', Mukherjee has also acted in Rituparno Ghosh's 'Utsab', 'Dahan', 'Hirer Angti', Buddhadeb Dasgupta's 'Mondo Meyer Upakshan', Sandip Ray's 'Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy', 'Gorosthane Sabdhanand' and Sujoy Ghosh's Hindi film 'Kahani 2: Durga Rani Singh' starring Vidya Balan in 2016.
