Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee dies at 71 after year-long cancer battle

Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee died in Mumbai on Sunday night after battling cancer for nearly a year. Tributes from Prosenjit Chatterjee and AICWA recalled her work across Bengali and Hindi cinema.Mithu Mukherjee was a known face in Bengali cinema of the '70s and '80s (Photo: A movie still)Bengali actor Mithu Mukherjee, who was a prominent face of Bengali cinema in the 1970s and 1980s, has died at 71. She died at a private hospital in Mumbai on Sunday night after battling cancer for nearly a year.Mukherjee, who had been based in Mumbai for several years, began her acting career as a teenager and went on to work with some of the biggest names in Bengali cinema, including Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chattopadhyay and Ranjit Mullick.Veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee paid a heartfelt tribute to Mukherjee on social media and wrote in Bangla, "The news of Mithu Mukhopadhyay's passing is extremely heartbreaking. His memory and his work will live on forever among us. With deepest respects (sic)."Earlier, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also a touching tribute to her remarkable legacy. A part of the post read, "Her contribution to the Bengali film industry, Ollywood and the Indian film industry as a whole will always be remembered. Her remarkable performances and the films she enriched with her talent will continue to live on in the hearts of audiences and generations to come (sic)." AICWA Pays Tribute to Legendary Actress Mithu Mukherjee21 September 2026Mithu Mukherjee was a celebrated Bengali and Hindi film actress who made her cinematic debut with Shesh Parba and went on to become a familiar and respected face of Indian cinema during the 1970s and pic.twitter.com/lt9N9AfsAr— All Indian Cine Workers Association (@aicwaofficial) September 21, 2026 Born in Kolkata in 1955, Mukherjee made her acting debut at 17 with Chitta Bose's Shesh Parba in 1972. She was paired opposite Shamit Bhanja in the film. Her career gained momentum with Dinen Gupta's Marjina Abdulla, in which she played the titular character opposite Debraj Roy.She went on to build a diverse body of work in Bengali cinema, appearing in films such as Nishikanya, Mouchak, Kabi, Hotel Snow Fox, Pratima, Bandhan, Prarthana and Swayamsiddha. Her performances and screen presence earned her a place among the recognisable female actors of the era. Mukherjee also made a foray into Hindi cinema. Her debut came with Dulal Guha's Khaan Dost in 1976. She subsequently appeared in Basu Chatterjee's Safed Jhoot, besides films including Dillagi and Do Ladke Dono Kadke.By the 1980s, Mukherjee had begun stepping away from the spotlight. After appearing in Dujane, she took a break from acting before returning to the screen in Chandra Barot's Ashrita in 1990. The film marked her final acting appearance.Following Ashrita, Mukherjee chose to leave the film industry. She subsequently maintained a private life away from the public eye and remained largely out of the limelight for the years that followed.- EndsPublished By: Vineeta KumarPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 19:05 IST