He has been a legend in his lifetime. The film world in Bengal has been orphaned," Banerjee wrote on Twitter in homage. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who rushed to the hospital after the news broke, said Chatterjee was a "giant" in international, Indian and Bengali cinema. "Through his works, he came to embody Bengali sensibilities, emotions and ethos. The prime minister described his demise as a colossal loss to the world of cinema, cultural life of West Bengal and India.
He made immense contribution to the craft of acting," Kovind tweeted. "He will be specially remembered for the 'Apu' trilogy and other memorable performances in Satyajit Ray's masterpieces. Sending his condolences to his family, the film fraternity and ?millions of fans across the world?, the president said Indian cinema has lost one of its legends.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the many who mourned the death of the thespian, whose collaboration with Ray led to 14 cinematic gems - among the more than 300 films he acted in a more than six-decade career.Ĭhatterjee, who consciously stayed away from Bollywood, also belonged to the theatre, writing 15 plays and directing 30 stage productions.