Famous Bengali theatre personality Manoj Mitra, renowned for writing and directing farces and fantasies that highlighted social and political issues, passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Kolkata due to age-related ailments, family sources confirmed. He was 86 years old. A doctor reported that Mitra breathed his last around 8:50 am on Tuesday.
"He was admitted to the hospital on November 3 with several illnesses. His condition kept on deteriorating and today at around 8.50 am he left us," the doctor told PTI.
The octogenarian had been hospitalized on September 20 due to breathing issues and an imbalance of sodium and potassium, along with other health complications, according to doctors. He was discharged from the hospital at the end of September.
Mitra was renowned for his remarkable performance in Tapan Sinha's film Banchharamer Bagan and had also appeared in legendary director Satyajit Ray's classics like Ghare Baire and Ganashatru. Banchharamer Bagan was based on Mitra's own play Sajano Bagaan.
Known for his comedy and antagonist roles, Mitra has also acted in films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Basu Chatterjee, Tarun Majumdar, Shakti Samanta and Goutam Ghose.