Popular Bengali cinema actor and former MP Tapas Pal breathed his last at a private hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday morning. At the time of his death, he was 61 years old. He was suffering from nerve and blood pressure problems for a long time. He was receiving regular treatment. He recently went to Mumbai. There he suddenly became seriously ill. He was admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai. He was placed on ventilation from February 1.
He was taken off ventilation on February 6 after he improved slightly. He was scheduled to return to Kolkata on Monday. However, he was hospitalized again when he fell ill at the Mumbai airport. The actor died there at around 3.35am on Tuesday.
In Bengali films he played the boy next door. An unbeatable hero who emerged from Chandannagar. Even today, Bengali film viewers often think of 'Dadar Kirti' Tapas. The film became very popular with his portrayal of a simple and innocent man. This is where Tapas Paul's acting skills became evident. After seeing his performance Chiranjit Chakraborty said, "I could not do what Tapas Paul has done in 'Dadar Kirti'."
He was also brilliant in films like 'Saheb'. He repeatedly chose character that broke the stereotype of 'heroism' in Bengal. Tapas’ simplicity and innocence were his main attractions. That is why his family films became the ‘commercial films’ of the time. On one hand he portrayed his innocence, but during the climax he rescued the heroine with a display of bravery.
In doing such scenes he transformed from being an actor to a star. The commercial film star was called by director Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Viewers have seen his outstanding performances in films like 'Uttara' or 'Mondo Meyer Upokkhan'. His easy-going performances took him across the Arabian Sea. In 1984, he acted opposite Madhuri Dixit in director Hiren Nag’s film. He was also seen acting alongside with Rakhi Gulzar.
But Tapas Paul was a full-fledged Bengali actor. On receiving a call from Tarun Mazumdar, he returned to Kolkata from Mumbai and acted with Debashree Roy in the film 'Bhalobasha Bhalobasha'. The film was a huge success at the box office. Debashree-Tapas pairing was a huge hit in Bengali films. Their list of films gradually increased. Their list of films include 'Arpan', 'Surer Sathi', 'Surer Akashe', 'Nayanmoni', 'Chokher Aloy', 'Tobu Mone Rekho'. Tapas Paul portrayed all the emotions in Bengali films from love, anger, passion and hatred during the eighties and nineties working with directors such as Tapan Sinha, Anjan Choudhury, Arabinda Mukhopadhyay and Tarun Majumder.
Later on, he also paired up with actress Satabdi. Working with directors Haranath Chakraborty and Tarun Majumder, the pair worked their magic on the box office. He also worked with talented actresses Indrani Haldar and Rachna Banerjee during the peak of his career. He was last seen on screen in ‘8:08 Er Bongaon Local’ in 2012.
Silver screen star Tapas Paul first ventured into politics with his entry into Assembly and later in Parliament. In 2009, his life changed drastically. That year, he became an MP in Krishnanagar thanks to ruling party Trinamool. He became involved in controversy surrounding various comments made by him. He was also accused of being involved in the Rose Valley financial scandal. The CBI arrested him. At one point he wanted to return to the world of acting. But his illness took him away before his time. The veteran actor left an indelible mark in Bengali cinema through outstanding performances.
