A promising career cut short: Fans & colleagues bid farewell to Rahul

Kolkata: The crowd gathered in the south Kolkata neighbourhood to mourn the death of ‘Chirodini... Tumi Je Amar' actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee shared the same sentiment — "A promising career cut short". On Monday, relatives, friends, locals, industry colleagues, and a sea of admirers thronged the narrow lane in the usually quiet Bijoygarh locality where Rahul lived with his mother.An avid cricket buff, an East Bengal loyalist, and a die-hard Argentina supporter, Rahul was remembered as a friendly face — a helpful ‘dada' and a politically engaged ‘adda' partner. The sight of their beloved ‘Babin' returning home in a hearse was unnerving for the community. Lyricist and screenwriter Sugata Guha, a next-door neighbour, said: "I saw him grow from a naughty kid into a popular face. Having seen how he effortlessly spread his wings in such diverse fields of art, I strongly feel his best was yet to come." Neighbour Rina Dutta said fame never changed Rahul. The tragedy has sparked questions about whether Rahul's "non-starry" demeanour and intellectual depth actually limited his opportunities in Tollywood. Indrasis Acharya, who directed him in ‘Pupa', suggested that Rahul's mastery of his craft and interest in world cinema, economics, and literature may have set him apart in an industry that often favours the status quo. "He was an educated actor who added new dimensions to layered characters," Acharya said. "But the industry sometimes celebrates mediocrity over this kind of talent. He was ahead of his time, which is why he rarely got the roles he deserved. Rahul is a classic case of a talent neglected by the Bengali film fraternity."For others, like actor-director Debesh Chattopadhyay, Rahul's death mirrored the tragic 1977 passing of 34-year-old theatre actor Keya Chakraborty during the filming of ‘Jiban Je Rokom'. "Keya di died on March 13; Rahul also died in March. Both passed away while shooting," Chattopadhyay said. "There were four theories that circulated when Keya-di died. I incorporated all that in my film, 'Natoker Moto'. In Rahul's case, I find multiple versions of how he died. While shooting that scene with Paoli, I had taken so much of precautions so that there were no problems. But there seems to be so much of grey areas about why no precaution was taken to avoid accident while shooting this serial. Decades have passed, yet it seems nothing has changed regarding the safety net provided on sets."A wide array of public figures — including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Abir Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, Rudranil Ghosh, Parambrata Chatterjee, Kaushik Ganguly, Sudipta Chatterjee, and Rupam Islam — joined Priyanka Sarkar to bid Rahul a tearful farewell. “I remember how during Covid days, Rahul called me up personally and volunteered to serve food for the canteen we used to run on behalf of the Nagarik Somonnoy Mancha in Durganagar. He drove for 20 km to our para and served food to everyone with a smiling face. That's how I want to remember him," said editor Anirban Maity. It is this humanitarian side that touched Pritha Banerjee, who recently worked with him in ‘Adalat O Ekti Meye’. “We all were moved by his good behaviour. I also connected so much with his writings and the way he conducted his podcast episodes,” Banerjee said.