Veteran actor Pradip Mukherjee no more

Veteran Bengali actor Pradip Mukherjee, who played the role of the protagonist in Satyajit Ray's "Jana Aranya" (The Middleman), set in a politically surcharged Kolkata of 1960s, died in a hospital in Kolkata, as reported by his family.

Mukherjee, 76—who left behind his wife, a son and a daughter—was admitted to a private hospital three days ago, due to an infection in his lungs. He was then shifted to a state-run hospital on Sunday, said the actor's family, adding that his condition worsened there and that he passed away at 8:15 am Monday.

Condoling his death, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee said in a statement, "I am saddened after receiving the news of the death of Pradip Mukherjee. He left his mark in Satyajit Ray's 'Jana Aranya', Rituparno Ghosh's 'Utsav' and Buddhadeb Dasgupta's 'Dooratwa'. His death has left behind a deep void."

Mukherjee acted in over 40 films—including "Hirer Angti" (The Diamond Ring, 1992) by Rituparno Ghosh and "Mondo Meyer Upakkhyan" (A Tale of a Naughty Girl, 2002) by Buddhadeb Dasgupta.

Pradip Mukherjee in the film "Jana Aranya"

But it was Mukherjee's debut film, "Jana Aranya" (1976), which propelled him to fame. In the movie, the actor essays the role of Somnath, a young man who is looking for a job, but is forced to join the world of business.  The film also features a memorable performance by the legendary Utpal Datta as 'Bishuda'.

Recalling Mukherjee's acting, Ray's son, who is also a filmmaker, Sandip said "Mukherjee came to my father's notice in a Bengali stage production, after which my father decided to cast him in 'Jana Aranya', which is based on Manishankar Mukhopadhyay's novella."

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"Pradipbabu delivered an excellent performance in Jana Aranya. He was a true well-wisher of our family. It feels as if we have lost a family member," Sandip said.

Mukherjee also acted in Ray's "Shakha Prasakha" and Sandip Ray's "Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy" "Badshahi Angti", and "Gorosthane Sabdhan". His only Hindi film was Sujoy Ghosh's "Kahani 2: Durga Rani Singh" (2016).

Director Nirmal Chakraborty had recently cast Mukherjee in his period film "Datta", which is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's eponymous novel.