Veteran Bengali actor Santu Mukhopadhyay passes away

 Veteran Bengali actor Santu Mukhopadhyay who was known for his works in films such as 'Sansar Simante' and 'Bhalobasa Bhalobasa' died at his south Kolkata residence on Wednesday evening after prolonged ailments.

Mukhopadhyay, who was 69, died of cardiac arrest at 7:30 pm. He had been suffering from carcinoma for long and been admitted to a hospital on February 4 with blood sugar and hypertension.

He was discharged in the last week of February and taken home. A favourite of directors like Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumder and Goutam Ghosh, Mukhopadhyay left behind his wife Gopa Mukherjee and two daughters actress Swastika Mukherjee and costume designer Ajopa Mukherjee.

Born in Kolkata in 1951, Mukhopadhyay showed his class when he was in early 20s in films like 'Sansar Simante' and 'Raja' by Tarun Majumder and Tapan Sinha respectively. He soon became a known face on big screen with fllms like 'Ganadevata' and 'Byapika Biday'.

His other memorable works spanning a period of over four decades included 'Bhalobasa Bhalobasa', 'Hemanter Pakhi', 'Dadamoni', 'Baikunther Will'. Mukhopadhyay was also a familiar face on small screen. He worked in soaps like 'Isthi Kutum', 'Jol Nupur' and 'Andarmahal'. He continued to work despite falling health till recently.

West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas visited the residence of Mukhopadhyay and consoled the grieving family members. Director Kaushik Ganguly, in whose movie 'Brakefail' Mukhopadhyay had essayed a key role, said "It is a personal loss for me."

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