Soumitra Chatterjee Passes Away At 85: Looking Back At The Top Movies Of The Veteran Actor

Soumitra Chatterjee breathed his last at 12.15 pm today (November 15, 2020). Read on.

Image courtesy - @soumitrachattopadhyayo/Instagram

New Delhi: Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee popularly known as ‘Feluda’ passed away today (November 15, 2020) at the age of 85. The actor breathed his last at 12.15 pm today. He is best known for his collaborations with the Oscar-winning film director Satyajit Ray. He even started his acting career with Ray’s 1959 film ‘Apur Sansar’ opposite Sharmila Tagore. Soumitra Chatterjee Death: Prominent Personalities From All Walks Of Life Bid Their Favourite 'Feluda', 'Apu' A Tearful Adieu The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee has contributed a lot to Bengali cinema with his craft of acting. He was Satyajit Ray’s muse and has worked with him in 14 films. He was also honoured with France’s highest civilian award, ‘Legion of Honor’. Here is the list of some of his best works amongst the plethora of unmatchable films left by the ‘Sonar Kella’ actor.

1. ‘Apur Sansar’ – ‘Apur Sansar’ is the third part of the ‘Apu Trilogy’, Soumitra Chatterjee portrayed the role of Apurba Kumar Roy in this film. Along with Chatterjee, this film also marked Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore’s debut film. The title of the movie means ‘The World of Apu’.
2. ‘Teen Kanya’ – Directed by Satyajit Ray, this film is based upon short stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Soumitra Chatterjee portrayed the character of ‘Amulya’ in this anthology film.
3. ‘Charulata’ – ‘Charulata’ means ‘The Lonely Wife’ and is a 1964 film directed by Satyajit Ray. This film is based upon the 1901 novel by Rabindranath Tagore ‘Nastanirh’. Chatterjee portrayed the role of Charulata/Charu’s husband’s younger brother ‘Amal’ in this critically acclaimed film.
4. ‘Kapurush’ – In this 1965 movie, Soumitra portrayed the role of ‘Amitabha Roy’ who is a scriptwriter driving around the country to collect material for a film. The movie also stars Madhabi Mukherjee and Haradhan Bandhopadhyay in pivotal roles. The title of the movie means ‘The Coward’.
5. ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’ – Based on a Bengali novel by the same name, this 1970 movie has also been written and directed by Satyajit Ray. This film was nominated for the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 20^th Berlin International Film Festival. The title of this film means ‘Days and Nights in the Forest’ and Chatterjee played the role of ‘Asim’ who leads the group of friends who urges to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life and go out into the land of tribes.
6. ‘Ashani Sanket’ – This Satyajit Ray film is based on the novel by the same name by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The title of the movie means ‘Distant Thunder’ and the plot of the movie revolves around the time period of World War II. The film illustrates the effects of the Great Famine of 1943 on the villages of Bengal through the eyes of a young Brahmin doctor-teacher, Gangacharan Chakravarti (portrayed by Soumitra Chatterjee).
7. ‘Sonar Kella’ – This 1971 film is based on the novel ‘Shonar Kella’ written by Satyajit Ray. Soumitra Chatterjee portrays the role of the protagonist in this movie and is a mystery film. This movie got released in the United States as ‘The Golden Fortress’.
8. ‘Joi Baba Felunath’ – This is a Bengali mystery film and is a sequel to ‘Sonar Kella’. The film stars Soumitra Chatterjee who portrayed the role of the Bengali sleuth from Calcutta ‘Feluda’. This film is also based on Satyajit Ray’s novel of the same name.
9. ‘Ghare Baire’ – This Bengali romantic drama is a film based on the 1916 novel ‘Ghare Baire’ by Rabindranath Tagore. Directed by Satyajit Ray, the title of the film means ‘The Home and the world’. Chatterjee portrayed the role of a revolutionist Sandip Mukherjee in the film. The backdrop of the film is set during 1907 in the chaotic aftermath of Lord Curzon’s partition of Bengal.
10. ‘Shakha Proshakha’ – The title of this movie means ‘Branches of the Tree’ and is a 1990 Satyajit Ray movie dealing with four generations of well-to-do Bengali family focusing more on the third generation. Soumitra Chatterjee portrayed the role of ‘Proshanto Majumdar’. This film displays the extraordinary use of legendary orchestras of ‘Bach’ and ‘Beethoven’.

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