Veteran actor-filmmaker Deb Mukherjee died on March 14 at his residence in suburban Mumbai after a prolonged illness. He was 83.
A statement issued by his representative read, “We are deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of Mr Debu Mukherjee, an actor and driving force of the North Bombay Durga Puja. He left us this morning.”
Here is all we know about Deb Mukherjee:
1. Deb Mukherjee was born in Kanpur and belonged to the illustrious Mukherjee-Samarth family. Their legacy in the film industry has spanned over four generations since the 1930s. Deb’s father, Sashadhar Mukherjee, was the owner of Filmalaya Studios, while his mother, Satidevi Mukherjee, was the only sister of Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and the legendary Kishore Kumar.
2. Deb Mukherjee was married twice. His daughter, Sunita, from his first marriage to actress Manisha, is married to director Ashutosh Gowariker. His son, Ayan Mukerji, is from his second marriage to Amrit.
3. Deb Mukherjee made his acting debut in the 1965 film Tu Hi Meri Zindagi, directed by Rono Mukherjee. The film also featured Salome, Chhayadevi and Gajanan Jagirdar in important roles.
4. He also directed and produced the 1983 movie Karate, which featured Mithun Chakraborty, Kaajal Kiran and Yogeeta Bali.
5. Deb Mukherjee was last seen in the 2009 film Kaminey, which was headlined by Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
Many celebrities visited Ayan Mukerji’s residence to pay their last respects to Deb Mukherjee. Among them were Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowariker, Lalit Pandit, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan and Kiran Rao.
Deb Mukherjee’s last rites were performed at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu, Mumbai.
Deb Mukherjee was known for his work in films such as Sambandh, Adhikar, Zindagi Zindagi, Haiwan, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, Karate, Baaton Baaton Mein and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.
