Ray’s Pratidwandi actor, Kalyan Chatterjee, passes away at 81
Times of India | 9 December 2025
Kolkata: Kalyan Chatterjee, who acted in Satyajit Ray's ‘Pratidwandi', Tapan Sinha's ‘Apanjan', ‘Sagina Mahato', ‘Sabuj Dwiper Raja', ‘Safed Hati', MS Sathyu's ‘Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaye', Arabinda Mukhopadhyay ‘Dhonni Meye', Basu Chatterjee's ‘Byomkesh Bakshi', Goutam Ghose's ‘Paar' and ‘Antarjali Jatra', Sujoy Ghosh's ‘Kahaani' and Sanjiban Nath's ‘The Waltz', passed away at a govt hospital in Kolkata on Sunday. He was 81.
Born in Berhampore, Chatterjee's journey was not just one of acting but of passion, dedication, and an unyielding pursuit of excellence. His decision to enroll at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) marked a pivotal moment in his life. It was under the tutelage of the likes of Ritwik Ghatak and Chidananda Dasgupta, that Chatterjee honed his craft.
His sister, Keya Mukherjee, said, "My father used to work with the League of Nations of United Nations. Many in our family were into acting. My grandmother's nephew was Ashok Kumar. Anil Chatterjee was my uncle. Victor Banerjee is my mother's cousin. Baba didn't stop him when Dada had independently decided to study acting at FTII. It was at FTII where Dada had Jaya Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha as batchmates. He sang Elvis Presley's songs and was a good horse rider too," she recalled.
Uttam Kumar, Chatterjee had always maintained, was exceptionally fond of him. The reason, he said, was his training in acting and the Mahanayak's closeness with his uncle Anil Chatterjee. From his debut in the Assamese film ‘Jiban Sangram' to his ventures in Punjabi, Hindi and English cinema, he was a polyglot of performance, fluent in six languages. In Bengal, he found a mentor in Tapan Sinha, whom he revered as his ‘guru.' Their collaborations, beginning with ‘Apanjan', were masterclasses in storytelling and character portrayal.
Yet, it was ‘Pratidwandi' that many regard as a landmark in his career. His co-star, Dhritiman Chaterji, said, "Kalyan and I first worked together 55 years ago. He was a trained actor, I wasn't. It was perhaps his training that helped us ease smoothly into the roles of two young friends. He wore his professional achievements lightly and was ‘Kalyan-da' to a lot of people in the industry. In life, he was happy-go-lucky, shrugging off both success and hardship."
In ‘Ek Akasher Niche', Chatterjee brought to life the character of Kanai, the endearing and authoritative domestic help. His portrayal, marked by spontaneity and street-smart charm, resonated deeply with viewers. Anindo Banerjee, who directed Chatterjee in the serial, recalled his ability to elevate scenes with his impromptu performances. "It was fun to hear Kalyan-da narrate stories about Jaya Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha. Kanai's character was quite loud and he played it so well. At times he forgot those long dialogues. But that wouldn't be a problem since Kalyan-da would shout and scream and the scene would get a lift." However, Chatterjee's final months were marked by solitude. His sister lamented the loneliness he faced. "It was pathetic that nobody bothered to meet him in his last days," she told TOI.