Veteran actress Mithu Mukherjee has passed away. She breathed her last on Sunday night at a private hospital in Mumbai. She was 71.
Mithu Mukherjee had been suffering from cancer for the past year. She had been living in Mumbai for several years. She had even sold her house in South Kolkata and moved to Mumbai to stay with her elder sister. Her treatment had been continuing in Mumbai for the past year, but unfortunately, she could not be saved.
There was a time when Mithu Mukherjee's presence on the Bengali silver screen itself was a special attraction for audiences. Her charming face, natural acting style and ability to adapt herself to different characters enabled her to portray several memorable roles during her relatively short acting career. Apart from Bengali films, she also worked in Hindi and Odia cinema. Her acting career extended from the early 1970s to around 1990.
Mithu made her big-screen debut in 1971 with Chitta Bose's Shesh Parba, opposite Samit Bhanja. However, widespread success did not come immediately after her debut. It was Dinen Gupta's Marjina Abdulla in 1973 that brought her recognition among Bengali audiences. She played the character of Marjina, Alibaba's maid, opposite Debraj Roy. Following the success of the film, there was no looking back for her.
She subsequently appeared in Nishikanya, directed by Ashutosh Mukherjee, in which her co-star was Soumitra Chatterjee.
In 1974, Aravind Mukherjee's Mouchak further established her popularity. Mithu played Neepa, while Ranjit Mallick played Sitanesh. Their pairing became popular with the audience. The film also featured some of the biggest names in Bengali cinema, including Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, Anup Kumar, Chinmoy Roy and Rabi Ghosh.
After Mouchak, Mithu Mukherjee was again paired with Ranjit Mallick in Swoyamsiddha, released in 1975. The film remains another notable work in her career. Earlier, she had acted opposite Debraj Roy in Kabi. The following year, she appeared in films such as Chander Kachhakachhi and Hotel Snow Fox.
During this period, Mithu also ventured into Hindi cinema. Her Hindi film debut came in 1976 with Dulal Guha's Khaan Dost, in which she acted opposite Shatrughan Sinha. Raj Kapoor also appeared in an important role in the film.
She subsequently worked under the direction of Basu Chatterjee in films such as Safed Jhooth, Dillagi and Do Ladke Dono Kadke. In Dillagi, she was once again paired opposite Shatrughan Sinha.
Meanwhile, her work in Bengali cinema continued. In 1977, she appeared in Pratima, playing the first wife of Soumitra Chatterjee's character. Sumitra Mukherjee played the second wife. The film was also successful at the box office.
Although Mithu Mukherjee worked in films in different languages, her acting career lasted for less than two decades. Yet, during that relatively short period, she had the opportunity to work with many celebrated actors of Bengali and Hindi cinema, including Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Ranjit Mallick, Debraj Roy, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Kapoor, Vinod Mehra, Naveen Nischol, Sabitri Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Anup Kumar and Mahua Roy Choudhury.
The veteran actress had withdrawn from the screen many years ago. But her absence from films never erased her from the memories of her audience. Characters such as Neepa in Mouchak and Marjina in Marjina Abdulla remain memorable parts of Bengali cinema.
With the passing of Mithu Mukherjee, Bengali cinema has lost an actress who, despite having a relatively brief career, left behind a lasting impression. Her performances and the characters she brought to life will continue to live on in the memories of film lovers.
