On Wednesday afternoon, we got the sad news that popular Bengali filmmaker Anik Dutta had passed away at the age of 65. According to reports, he died after falling from the terrace of his multi-storey residence in South Kolkata. The filmmaker was taken to a nearby private hospital in Dhakuria, where doctors declared him dead.
Dutta was a famous name in the Bengali film industry, and Tollywood actors like Jeet and Prosenjit Chatterjee took to social media to mourn the filmmaker’s death.
Jeet tweeted, “Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Anik Dutta. A fantastic filmmaker, a creative soul, and a storyteller who left his own distinct mark through cinema. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and admirers. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti (sic).”
Writer-director Pratim D Gupta tweeted, “A devastating day for us. We lost Anik Dutta today. He was one of the sharpest, most uncompromising filmmakers we had. In a business constantly driven by safe choices and market machinations, he genuinely didn’t care about playing the game. He spoke his mind, consequences be damned. When Bhooter Bhobishyot released, it completely redrew the map of Bengali cinema for all of us, proving that razor-sharp intelligence and commercial success could coexist (sic).”
He further wrote, “But beyond the biting satire, I will always remember his absolute reverence for the craft. Nobody understood, loved, and cared for Satyajit Ray’s cinema quite like he did. Thank you for the films, the unapologetic truth, and the fierce inspiration. Rest in peace, Anik-da. You will be so deeply missed (sic).”
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari Mourns Anik Dutta’s Death
West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, also took to X to mourn the demise of Dutta, and wrote that he trusts the Kolkata Police to investigate the filmmaker’s sudden death.
Adhikari tweeted, “Saddened by the untimely demise of renowned filmmaker Shri Anik Dutta. His contributions towards Bengali Cinema is priceless. Heartfelt Condolences to his family & friends. I trust @KolkataPolice will investigate & unearth the mysterious circumstances shrouding his sudden death (sic).”