Veteran Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee dies at 71

• Veteran Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee dies at 71 at a Mumbai hospital

• Mukherjee was a prominent face of 1970s–80s Bengali cinema, starring in Mouchak, Swayamsiddha and Ashrita

• Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ranjit Mallick, Rituparna Sengupta and AICWA pay tribute to the actor

Veteran Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee died at a private hospital in Mumbai on Monday, actor-director Prosenjit Chatterjee said. She was 71.

“She passed away this morning, and we are all very sad,” Chatterjee told PTI.

One of the prominent faces of Bengali cinema in the 1970s and 1980s, Mukherjee was known for her performances in films including Marjina Abdulla, Swayamsiddha, Hotel Snow Fox, Mouchak, Sandhi, Father and Ashrita.

Mukherjee also appeared in Hindi films, including Khaan Dost (1976), in which she starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha, and Basu Chatterjee’s Safed Jhoot (1977).

Tributes poured in from the film industry following her death.

Chatterjee paid tribute to Mukherjee in a post on X, saying her memory and work would continue to live on.

Actor Ranjit Mallick, who worked with Mukherjee in films such as Mouchak, Swayamsiddha and Bhagyachakra, said he initially found it difficult to believe the news of her death.

Recalling their collaborations, Mallick described Mukherjee as a versatile and prolific actor with a strong screen presence.

Actor Rituparna Sengupta also mourned Mukherjee’s death, describing her as one of her favourite actresses. Sengupta said she had discussed the possibility of casting Mukherjee in a film just days before her death.

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also expressed grief, remembering Mukherjee as a celebrated artist whose contribution to Bengali and Indian cinema would be remembered.

Mukherjee made her acting debut with Chitta Bose’s Shesh Parba in 1972. She went on to establish herself in Bengali cinema during the following decade.

After appearing in Dujane in 1984, Mukherjee took a break from acting. She returned to the screen several years later with Chandra Barot’s Ashrita in 1990, which was her final film appearance.

With PTI inputs