Television actor Sonali Chakraborty passes away

KOLKATA: Actor Sonali Chakraborty, a popular face on Bengali television right from the days of ‘Janani’ and ‘Nachni’ to ‘Gaantchhora’, passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata on Monday morning.
Chakraborty, whose big screen outings include the Rachana Banerjee-Ferdous Ahmed-starrer ‘Har Jeet’ (2002), Jeet-Koel’s Bandhan (2004) and Tapas Paul-Mahua Raychowdhury’s ‘Dadar Kirti’ (1980), is survived by actor-husband Shankar Chakraborty and daughter Saji.
A poignant post – ‘Bhora thaak smritishudhae’(in fond remembrance) – from her husband on Facebook broke the news of her demise. Later in the day, he remembered how the 60-year-old actor was extremely popular as the ‘chhoto bou’ in ‘Janani’. “Her small role in ‘Dadar Kirti’ was well-appreciated. She deserved a lot more film offers. Her acting prowess would have flourished had she got more offers on the big screen,” he rued.
Born on November 10, 1962, in Kolkata, Sonali displayed her acting skill both on screen and on stage – a fact attested even in chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s condolence message. Pankaj Munshi, who directed her in ‘Mrichhakatik’ for the Samikshan theatre group, described her as a great dancer who acted well too. “I saw her in some small roles in plays by People’s Little Theatre. That’s when I offered her the role of Basantasena for ‘Mrichhakatik’ that was staged in 1990. What a performance that was! A film director, who came to watch a show, was so impressed that he cast her in a film after that,” Munshi said.
Beyond her performances, it was her infectious smile and cordial behaviour that touched all hearts. Actor Debdut Ghosh said she belonged to the old school of actors who would first enjoy an adda on the sets, asking about their families before talking about work.
“She always greeted me with a smile. That stayed on till the end when her health deteriorated. I will forever miss my elder didi,” Ghosh said.