Veteran Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee dies at 71, film industry mourns ‘end of an era’

Veteran Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee, who was among the prominent faces of Bengali cinema in the 1970s and 1980s and was known for films such as Mouchak, Swayamsiddha and Hotel Snow Fox, died at a private hospital in Mumbai Monday. She was 71.

“She passed away this morning, and we are all very sad,” actor-director Prosenjit Chatterjee said. Mukherjee’s death prompted tributes from across the film industry, with colleagues remembering her screen presence and performances during a career that also included appearances in Hindi films.

A familiar screen presence

Mukherjee made her film debut with Chitta Bose’s Shesh Parba in 1972 and went on to become a familiar face in Bengali cinema. Her filmography included Marjina Abdulla, Swayamsiddha, Hotel Snow Fox, Mouchak, Sandhi, Father and Ashrita.

She also worked in Hindi cinema. In 1976, she appeared opposite Shatrughan Sinha in Khaan Dost and subsequently acted in filmmaker Basu Chatterjee’s Safed Jhoot.

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

‘Could not believe it’

Paying tribute to Mukherjee, Prosenjit Chatterjee wrote on X: “The news of Mithu Mukhopadhyay’s passing is extremely heartbreaking. Her memory and her work will live on forever among us. With deepest respect.”

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

“When I first heard the news, I could not believe it. I thought perhaps it was a rumour,” Mallick said in a video message on Instagram. Recalling their work together, he described Mukherjee as a versatile and prolific performer with a memorable screen presence.

Actor Rituparna Sengupta, who described Mukherjee as one of her favourite actresses, said she had been discussing the possibility of casting the veteran actor in a film only days before her death.

“I was discussing Mithu Mukherjee a couple of days ago with a very good director, our Buddhayan, about casting her in a picture or not and just two days later she left,” Sengupta wrote on Instagram.

“She will forever be glamour girl, an incredibly good actress, and a magical screen presentation,” she added.

‘End of an era’

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also mourned Mukherjee, remembering her contribution to Bengali and Indian cinema.

“Her passing has left the entire Bengali film industry in deep shock and mourning,” the association said, describing her as an integral part of the film fraternity and calling her death the “end of an era in Indian cinema”.

The association said Mukherjee’s contribution to Bengali cinema, Ollywood and the wider Indian film industry would continue to be remembered through her performances.

From her debut in the early 1970s to her final appearance in Ashrita, Mukherjee’s career spanned a period of significant change in Bengali popular cinema, leaving behind a body of work that included romance, comedy and drama.