KOLKATA: Tollywood mourned the loss of Bengali actor Joy Banerjee, who passed away on Monday morning at a private hospital in Kolkata at the age of 62.
The actor, who had been ailing for some time, was admitted on August 15 with respiratory complications and placed on ventilator support on August 17. He breathed his last on Monday with his second wife Ankita Banerjee and his mother by his side. His ex-wife,
Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Ananya Banerjee, attended his last rites.
Banerjee took the film industry by surprise when he entered the Bengali screen at a time dominated by Chiranjit Chatterjee, Tapas Pal and Prosenjit Chatterjee. He made his debut opposite Debashree Roy in ‘Aparupa’ (1982), directed by Bidesh Sarkar. However, it was Anjan Choudhury’s ‘Hirak Jayanti’ (1990), co-starring Chumki Choudhury, that made him a household name.
Over the years, he worked with leading filmmakers, including Sukhen Das, and showcased his acting calibre in films like Chopper by Nabyendu Chatterjee.
Despite his talent, his career was marred by alcoholism and frequent controversies over his outspoken nature. From Satabdi Roy, Prosenjit Chatterjee to Rudranil Ghosh, several Tollywood celebs condoled the death of the actor.
In later years, Joy joined politics with the BJP, contesting elections from Birbhum in 2014 against his on-screen co-star Satabdi Roy, and later from Uluberia, but lost both times. He eventually distanced himself from the party in 2021.