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Veteran actor of the Bengali silver screen, Pradip Mukherjee, who became legendary after his iconic role of Somnath in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Jana Aranya’, died in a hospital here on Monday. He was 76.

He also received critics’ accolades for his role of Dr Maiti in the Vidya Balan and Arjun Rampal starrer, ‘Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh’.

Mukherjee was hospitalised on August 22 following a lung infection. His condition started deteriorating from Sunday and he had to be given ventilator support.

He was tested Covid-19 positive twice in the last two years.

Besides acting, Mukherjee was also a practising tax consultant.

He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Mukherjee was born on August 11, 1946 and after graduating from City College in Kolkata, he also received a degree in law.

He had been attracted to acting since his college days.

Besides taking drama lessons, he was actively associated with a number of theatre academies.

by Swapnil Azad

I walked into Calcutta’s Priya Cinema last Friday to watch “Pratidwandi” [The Adversary], Satyajit Ray’s film from 1970, expecting a roomful Ray-admirers who rushed to see Anik Dutta’s (deplorable) “Aparajito” earlier this year. And well, I was disappointed. There were just a handful of folks inside the auditorium, and I can’t tell how many of them watched the film seriously. Speaks volumes about the gradual cultural death of Calcutta which has been happening over the past decade. A few years ago, news of a Ray rerelease would’ve brought in masses who would liven up the theatre premises and its proximity, even if with flattery. Or maybe not, I’m too young to know.

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Keeping aside my lamentations on the cultural fall of Calcutta, the experience was certainly worthwhile. The print screened was...