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Soumitra Chatterjee Dies: Venerated Indian Actor In More Than 300 Films Was 85

Bruce Haring
·1 min read

Indian actor Soumitra Chatterjee, whose career spanned six decades and more than 300 films, died Sunday in Kolkata from complications related to COVID-19. He was 85.

A protégé of Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, Chatterjee died at Belle Vue Clinic after being there since October 6. He initially tested positive for coronavirus, and complications contributed to his death.

Chatterjee was also an accomplished poet, playwright and theater actor, according to the Indian Express.

He played key roles in 14 of Ray’s films between 1959 and 1990, including the third installment of the acclaimed Apu Trilogy.

He won India’s highest cinema honor, the Dada Saheb Phalke, in 2011.

CNN reported that the actor’s daughter, Poulami Bose, said her family was “devastated” and asked her followers on Facebook to “say a prayer for his soul.”

Members of the film community and politicians issued statements on Chatterjee’s passing.

“Shri Soumitra Chatterjee’s death is a colossal loss to the world of cinema, cultural life of West Bengal and India,” said India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Sunday.

Chatterjee was the first Indian film personality to be conferred with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest award for artists. He received the honor in 1999. In, 2017 Chatterjee was honored with France’s highest civilian award, the Chevalier of Legion of Honor, according to the Indian embassy in Paris.

“A versatile artist, he earned the world’s admiration and many awards, including French Order of Arts and Letters & Legion of Honour,” said France’s ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain, in a tweet on Sunday.

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