Bengali actress Lalita Chatterjee dead at 81

Veteran film and folk theatre actress Lalita Chatterjee died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday following a cerebral attack, family sources said.

Chatterjee, 81, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after she fell down at her residence and suffered a stroke. She was put on ventilation.

Chatterjee began her film career in 1964 with the movie Bivas, opposite Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar.

Her other films include Antony Firingee, Jai Jayanti, Har Mana Har and Memsaheb.

Chatterjee spent ten years in Bollywood, where her notable films included Victoria No. 203, Raat Andheri Thi, Aap ki Kasam, Chori Chori and Talash.

She was also a regular in Bengali folk theatre.

In her condolence message, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recalled Chatterjee’s four-decade long acting career and termed her death as an “irreparable loss for stage and screen”.

“I express my heartfelt sympathies to her family members and fans,” she said.