Theatre artist Alok Chatterjee dies at 63

New Delhi: Theatre actor-director Alok Chatterjee, whose stage credits include “Death of a Salesman” and “Nat Samrat”, died on Tuesday morning due to multiple organ failure at a hospital in Bhopal.

Chatterjee, a gold medallist of the 1987 batch of the National School of Drama and former director of MP School of Drama, would have turned 64 on January 11.

According to his close associate Manoj Joshi, Chatterjee was admitted to the hospital on December 31.

“He was suffering from kidney ailment for seven-eight months. His liver was also affected. When we admitted him to the hospital, his lungs also started to get affected. Last night his heart started giving way. He breathed his last at around 3 am,” Joshi told PTI.

A Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient, Chatterjee was the batchmate of actor Irrfan Khan and producer Sutapa Sikdar.

He is survived by his wife Shobha, son Pratyush and daughter-in-law Rashi.

The last rites were held in Bhopal on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, writer-lyricist Swanand Kirkire shared the news of Chatterjee’s death on Instagram.

“Alok Chatterjee… a unique actor is gone. He was Irfran’s batchmate at NSD. If Irrfan was Kalidas, Chatterjee was Vilom. Vilom has left to meet his Kalidas. Rest in peace, Alok Bhai!” Kikire wrote on Tuesday, which happens to be Irrfan’s 60th birthday.

“He was very talented and unique individual,” Kirkire told PTI. Chatterjee started his theatrical journey with Vivechana Theater Group in Jabalpur and was also associated with Bharat Bhavan’s professional repertory Rangmandal in Bhopal.

His theatre credits also include “Shakuntala Ki Angoothi”, “Ankahe Afsaane”, “Swami Vivekananda”, and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, which he also directed.