Bengal film industry mourns Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's death

Kolkata: Members of film fraternity of Bengal on Thursday expressed shock and grief over the demise of former chief minister and Marxist patriarch Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, recalling his close association with the world of arts.

"I have so many fond memories of Buddhadeb Babu," director Goutam Ghosh told reporters after meeting the bereaved family members of the CPI(M) leader at his Palm Avenue residence in south Kolkata.

Ghosh, who was known to be close to Bhattacharya during his stint as Information and Cultural Affairs minister and later as chief minister, recalled he had long 'adda' sessions with the departed leader at state-run cultural complex Nandan and Rabindra Sadan among other places.

Bengali film heroine Rituparna Sengupta said she considered Bhattacharjee as a "sincere, dedicated, committed leader who followed a simple lifestyle and set an example." She reminisced about meeting Bhattacharya on certain occasions in past and described him as a gentle, polite and cultured personality.

Filmmaker Kamaleswar Mukherjee said "he had taken the initiative to accelerate the economic development and industrialization of West Bengal. Bengal misses such a visionary leader."

Actor Srilekha Mitra said "I am at a loss of words about what to say. He wanted to do so much for Bengal's industrial progress and generate employment for youth. But he could not accomplish his objectives."

Filmmaker Anik Dutta said "I am yet to come to terms with the news. It is more than personal loss for me."

An avid reader of books, who had penned a play 'Dusamay' tracing the days of demolition of Babri Masjid, a film enthusiast who used to take keen interest in choosing the films in the Kolkata International Film Festival during the left regime, Bhattacharya shared good relations with many personalities in Bengali film industry including Ghosh and late Tarun Majumdar. He was also close to late Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Utpal Dutta among others.

Bhattacharjee, known for his efforts to bring industry to the state, died on Thursday at his Kolkata home following old age-related ailments.

The former chief minister was 80 and is survived by his wife Mira and daughter Suchetana.