West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also paid tribute to the late actor Soumitra Chatterjee: 10 memorable movies by the Indian idol

Soumitra Chatterjee was a cultural icon, national treasure and trailblazer in Indian cinema. He was arguably the greatest acting legend India had. With his demise due to COVID-19 on November 15, India lost one of its greatest treasures. He was recipient of several titles including the Padma Shri – India’s fourth-highest civilian - National Award and Dada Saheb Phalke award, the highest recognition for cinematic excellence in India.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday remembered veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee on his 86th birth anniversary and said that his ... "glorious presence" is being missed. "Remembering Soumitra (Da) Chattopadhyay on his birth anniversary. He was a legend, who left his mark on everything he did. We miss his glorious presence," Banerjee tweeted. As we fondly remember him on his birthday, here’s a look at some movies that he was famous for.

‘Apur Sansar’: We have to start with this because it was his debut film. Soumitra Chatterjee, who played Apurba, was remarkable opposite Sharmila Tagore, cementing his spot as a new matinee idol. It also marked the first of many movies that Chatterjee and Satyajit Ray would work on together. Soumitra and Ray went on to do 14 films together.

‘Devi’: In this 1960 film, Chatterjee plays Umaprasad, a youth head-over-heels in love with his wife Doyamoyee, played by Tagore. According to Umaprasad's father, she is an avatar of the deity Kali and must be worshipped. Chatterjee, in his inimitable style, brings forth Umaprasad's struggle against a society reeling under dogma and superstitions.

‘Charulata’: Not only is Madhabi Chakrabarty synonymous with Charulata but so is Chatterjee as Amal. Perhaps the pinnacle of Ray’s cinematic achievement and one of his most mature films, it was also a milestone in Chatterjee’s career . Whenever one thinks of the film, all one can remember is the dreamlike scenes of beautiful conversations between the two.

‘Ashani Shanket’: Ray's study of Bengal's great famine of 1943 and vulnerability of human spirit, ‘Ashani Sanket’ held a special significance. Chatterjee plays the role of the unsuspecting Brahmin priest Gangacharan, who despite being cautious in holding his fort in the village, fails to see the catastrophe racing towards him. He is mildly vain at first, thankful for his privilege as well but towards the end of the film, he is shown his place, till he becomes one with everyone else in the village in the final scene of the movie.

'Aranyer Din Ratri’: Chatterjee plays the well-off egoistic Bengali off for a weekend jaunt with his friends. The movie showed off Chatterjee’s versatility, making him even more relatable.

'Abhijan': Indian National Film Award-winning ‘Abhijan’ saw Chatterjee play Narsingh, a taxi driver. Narsingh is a proud and hot-tempered Rajput who gets involved in the smuggling of opium when he is leaving for his village. This presents a gruesome situation for him. The actor responded to the challenge, brilliantly highlighting the complexity and ambiguity in his character. Also, watch for his chemistry with Waheeda Rehman as Gulabi and with the always underrated Ruma Guha Thakurta as Narsingh’s first love, Neeli.

‘Saat Pake Bandha’: Archana (Suchitra Sen) falls in love with Sukhendu (Soumitra Chatterjee), a serious University Lecturer, much to the chagrin of her snobbish and interfering mother (Chhaya Devi) for whom Sukhendu is just not good enough for her daughter or their family. Though the film is an out-and-out Suchitra Sen vehicle, whose stunning performance as Archana earned her global accolades, Chatterjee more than holds his own, playing the perfect foil to her and having his moments as well.

‘Felu da’: This is the Soumitra Chatterjee we would like to remember forever. It’s been 50 years since ‘Feluda ‘was introduced to Bengali literature and the translations afterwards made it sure that Feluda was made popular across India. Satyajit Ray’s ‘Sonar Kella’ in 1974 gave Rajasthan’s medieval architecture a new life. A six feet-tall charming young detective and his teenage assistant take on hypnotism and reincarnation during their magical journey. Many actors have portrayed the charismatic ‘Feluda’ character such Shashi Kapoor in a Hindi Doordarshan series, but Chatterjee rightfully grabs everyone’s imagination till today. Gentle and tough, soft yet unbroken and intelligent but humble; wielding his famous Magajastra (brain power), Feluda became a complete man and a balanced human being in ‘Sonar Kella’ and ‘Joy Baba Felunath’.

‘Jinder bondhi’ : Chatterjee as the handsome Mayurbahon from Tapan Sinha’s 1961 hit 'Jhinder Bandi' was perfect. This film pitted the legendary Uttam Kumar against Chatterjee. The former was enjoying a matinee idol status at that time and the latter was slowly climbing his way to superstardom with great performances and spontaneity. And the rest is history. The film was based on a novel by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, which in turn was significantly inspired by Anthony Hope’s ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. A friendly but sustained rivalry between two schools of stardom began. Watch it, even if for the scenes featuring the two titans!

‘Koni’: One of Soumitra’s most enigmatic performances was as an egoistic yet loveable coach in ‘Koni’, a National Award-winning movie based on a book by the same name by Saroj Dey.