Veteran actor Haradhan Bandopadhyay passes away

New Delhi: Bengali actor Haradhan Bandopadhyay, a veteran of theatre, films and television serials, passed away in Kolkata on Saturday. He was 86. Bandopadhyay, who was last seen in Anurag Basu's 'Barfi' as the venerable head of a children's home.

Bandopadhyay made his debut in director Atanu Bandopadhay's film 'Devdut' in 1948. Born on November 6, 1926 in Bangladesh's Kushtiya, he worked with several cinematic greats such as Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen.His filmography includes 'Joi Baba Felunath', 'Sonar Kella', 'Seemabaddha', 'Mahanagar' and 'Akash Kusum'.

Bandopadhyay passed his Matriculation exam in 1944 from the City College and started his career at the Gun and Shell company in Kolkata. He joined a life insurance firm in 1946, according to TV channel ABP Ananda.

Actor Paran Bandopadhyay and Soumitra Chattopadhyay, who acted in many films with him said his death was a great loss for Bengali cinema. "I'm devastated by his death," Chattopadhyay said. "The embodiment of affection passes away," filmmaker Srijit Mukherji.