Kharaj on Monu Mukhopadhyay’s demise: I lost a great teacher

Kharaj Mukherjee is speechless in grief. He believes the year 2020 has been a curse. After industry legend Soumitra Chattopadhyay’s demise Tollywood lost yet another veteran actor Monu Mukhopadhyay on Sunday. The 90-year-old actor breathed his last after suffering a cardiac arrest. “I am at loss of words. Don’t know what to say. Despite being such a senior person he was so down to earth and used to get along with people across generations. I worked with him in so many films and serials, the first being ‘Patalghar’. In Patalgahr he played that Apaya character and after Machhli Baba it was one of his most extraordinary performances. He had floored everyone with his stunning performance,” recalled a heartbroken Kharaj as he shared his grief with ETimes. Not just co-actor, Monu Mukhopadhyay was also Kharaj’s teacher since he started his acting career. “I have so many memories with him. Whenever he used to come to the sets, his family members would ask me to take care of him and keep an eye on him since of late he was not keeping well. Also, he was my teacher in acting. I have learned a lot from him,” shared the actor. Making his debut with Mrinal Sen’s ‘Nil Akasher Niche’ (1958), the actor went on play some memorable roles including Machhli Baba in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Joy Baba Felunath’, and another one in ‘Ganashatru’ to name a few. His supreme act in children's fantasy film ‘Patalghar’ had also earned him accolades. Meanwhile, condolence messages poured in on social media since the news of the veteran actor’s demise broke out. “Extraordinary comfort, perfect dimension, great sense of humor in front of the camera. And such respect for work. Goodbye Manuda. We shared so much work together, so many memories,” nation award winning director Atanu Ghosh wrote on social media, posting an image of the both.