Though I am not a huge fan of modern Bengali cinema (and I have no disrespect for them, either), I am more or less appreciative of the Bengali TV serials, some of which are genuinely good in terms of over all quality. And there are some actors and actresses in the Bengali serials whom I really love watching.
And I am really sad that two of these actors, both just in their 40s, passed away recently.
Just a couple of months back we lost Shiladitya Patranabis. An MBA from Calcutta University, Shiladitya appeared in the world of Bengali TV serials way back in 1986 (if I remember correctly). That time he was still a student, and virtually a “boy”. And I was certainly a kid. I grew up watching him playing so many characters of so many colours. And he was a smart actor, though a bit confined to a specific type of roles (that of an audacious young man).
Of late he had become very flabby, and I was shocked to learn after his death that he had already been to rehabilitation centre for a couple of times thanks to his heavy drinking habits.
It is seriously heart breaking to find an actor dead whom you have grown up watching, even if you are not a great fan of his acting skills.
And just recently we lost Kunal Mitra. A versatile actor, this handsome man with an elegant personality was equally comfortable in playing diverse characters – ranging from the one of a sober doctor to the comic character of a funny politician. I was just dumbstruck to learn about his death from my mother after I was back from office.
It has become a cliché to use phrases like “His death has caused a huge vacuum…”, etc. However, I am confident that Kunal’s death is a serious damage for the world of Bengali TV serials. I have seen him portraying difficult characters with élan, and despite being a layman I understand the value of such an actor for the world of films and TV serials in any language.
My sincere condolences to the deceased families.
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Myself and Shiladitya went to the same school in Kolkata. He used to be very good in English bit had been a rebel right throughout. Shiladitya was the son of the famous newsphotographer Subrata Patranobis.
I knew him well but came toknow about his death just now when was trying to search through the net about his whereabouts. It is sad.
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