Buddhadeb Dasgupta, veteran filmmaker and poet, passes away at 77

Kolkata: Veteran Bengali filmmaker and renowned poet Buddhadeb Dasgupta passed away at his South Kolkata residence around 6 a.m on Thursday due to age related ailments.He was 77.

As per the reports, the Multiple National award winning filmmaker was battling kidney and age-related complications for quite some time and undergoing treatment for the same.

Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: Anguished by the demise of Shri Buddhadeb Dasgupta. His diverse works struck a chord with all sections of society. He was also an eminent thinker and poet. My thoughts are with his family and several admirers in this time of grief. Om Shanti."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to Twitter to condole his death."Saddened at the passing away of eminent filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Through his works, he infused lyricism into the language of cinema. His death comes as a great loss for the film fraternity. Condolences to his family, colleagues and admirers."she tweeted.

"Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Buddhadeb Dasgupta. He was an eminent filmmaker & his death comes as a great loss for the film fraternity. My condolences to his family, colleagues and countless admirers," posted state Transport Minister Firhad Hakim.

Dasgupta was honoured with the National Film Award five times in his film career.

His films "Uttara" and "Swapner Din" won award for Best Direction, while his films "Bagh Bahadur", "Charachar", "Lal Darja", "Mondo Meyer Upakhyan" and "Kaalpurush" were honoured with the National Award for Best Film.

Apart from this, two of his films, "Dooratwa" and "Tahader Katha", received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.

Dasgupta also made significant contribution to the world of Bengali poetry. His notable works include "Gobhir Araley", "Himjog", "Chhaata Kahini", "Roboter Gaan", and "Coffin Kimba Suitcase" among others.

His demise has left the film industry, his friends, followers and cinema lovers in shock, who have expressed condolence on social media.

(With agency inputs)