Veteran Bengali actor Swarup Dutta passes away

Kolkata, July 17: Veteran Bengali actor Swarup Dutta, who appeared in films such as 'Sagina Mahato' and 'Apanjan' directed by Tapan Sinha, died at a city hospital on Wednesday, hospital official said. Dutta, who was admitted to the hospital with symptomns of stroke on Saturday, died at 6.10 am, a spokesman of the hospital said.

Doctors detected a blood clot in his brain and had put him on ventilator support, he said. Dutta suffered a cardiac arrest this morning and breathed his last, the official said. The actor had been suffering from age-related ailments for quite some time. Dutta was 78 and survived by wife and son. His son, Sharan Dutta, is also an actor. The actor had got his first break in Tapan Sinha's 'Apanjan' (1968).

The film was set against the political turmoil in West Bengal in the 1960s. "His unparalleled performance in 'Apanjan' had left an indelible mark among the audience. His death has left a void in the film industry which will be hard to fill," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

Some of his best-known movies included 'Sagina Mahato,' 'Harmonium', 'Pita Putra' and 'Maa o Meye'. Born on June 22, 1941, Dutta was considered to be one of the distinguished actors of the Bengali silver screen during the late 60s and early 70s. After completing his schooling from South Point School in 1958, Dutta did his further studies from Belur Ramkrishna Mission Vidya Mandir, family members said.

After that he did his graduation from St. Xaviers College here. Dutta, who was inspired by Utpal Dutt during his school days in south Kolkata, had also acted with the late thespian in his theatre troupe for long.

The golden era of Bengali cinema as represented by such stalwarts is fading away, actor Sudipta Chakraborty tweeted while condoling Dutta's death.