Mamata Banerjee expresses grief on filmmaker Basu Chatterjee's demise, conveys condolences

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to express grief on hearing of veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee's demise at his home in Mumbai on Thursday. She also recalled the classic and evergreen Bollywood films and TV shows that the late filmmaker has left behind as his legacy. Through her tweet, Mamata Banerjee also conveyed her condolences not only to his family but also to the entire film fraternity. 

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Read | Filmmaker Basu Chatterjee passes away at 93, cremation to be held today

Veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, known for his middle-of-the-road cinema and films such as Chhoti Si Baat and Rajnigandha, died on Thursday from age-related health issues. He was 90. Chatterjee worked in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. His films, which were considered to be more realistic, stood out as the 70s was the era of the ‘angry young man’ and action movies. He collaborated with Amol Palekar on films like Choti Si Baat, Rajnigandha and Chitchor among more.

Basu died in his sleep at his Santacruz residence.

"He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the morning. He wasn't keeping well for quite some time due to old age and died at his residence. It's a great loss to the film industry," Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), told PTI. He also revealed that the last rites of the legendary filmmaker will be performed at Santacruz crematorium on Thursday afternoon.

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Basu Chatterjee collaborated with the superstars of the era but presented them in unique avatars – Amitabh Bachchan in Manzil, Rajesh Khanna in Chakravyuh, Dev Anand in Man Pasand and Mithun Chakraborty in Shaukeen and Pasand Apni Apni. His 1986 film Ek Ruka Hua Faisla was an Indian adaptation of the 1957 classic Twelve Angry Men, and is remembered till date. Some of his best-known works are Us Paar, Chitchor, Piya Ka Ghar, Khatta Meetha and Baton Baton Mein. 

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During the early Doordarshan days, Basu Chatterjee also helmed two hit TV serials – Byomkesh Bakshi and Rajani. Recently, Byomkesh Bakshi was re-aired during the lockdown. In 1992, he was awarded National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare for his film Durga.

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