Doctors straining every nerve to save Bengal’s iconic actor Soumitra Chatterjee

A team of doctors treating veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee is waging a grim battle to save him.

“Repercussions of a prolonged stay in the hospital’s ICU and medical interventions are taking a toll on his body. Despite every effort, with every passing day, the chances of recovery are getting lower. We are giving our best to get him better. Let’s hope for the best,” Dr Arindam Kar, who is leading the team of doctors treating the actor, told media on Friday (October 30).

Chatterjee, 85, was hospitalised on October 6 after testing positive for COVID-19. He has been in the ICU for more than 20 days and on ventilator support since October 26.

He had shown marginal improvement on Thursday and on Friday his condition was stated to be stable but critical. His cardiac functions were good and his kidney functions started bouncing back as antibiotics were working well, doctors said.

“From Saturday, we would try to come with some strategies to improve his neurological parameters. We would try our best to reverse the encephalopathy,” Dr Kar added.

One of the most celebrated actors in Bengal, Chatterjee has received many awards and honours, including the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, National Awards, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna. He is best known for his collaboration with Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray and the Feluda series.

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He is best known for his collaborations with Oscar-winning film director Satyajit Ray, with whom he worked in 14 films. Soumitra Chattopadhyay is also the first Indian film personality conferred with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest award for artists. In 2017 exactly 30 years after auteur Satajit Ray was honoured with France’s highest civilian award, the coveted Legion of Honor, thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, arguably, the most prominent face of Ray’s films, also received the prestigious award. He was the seventh recipient of this award.

Starting with his debut film, Apur Sansa (The World of Apu, 1959) as adult Apu, the third part of Apu Trilogy, he went on to work in several notable films with Ray, including Abhijan (The Expedition, 1962), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964) as Amal, Arnyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest, 1969); Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973); Sonar Kella (The Fortress, 1974) and Joi Baba Felunath (The Elephant God, 1978); Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980), Ghare Baire (The Home and The World, 1984) and Ganashatru (Enemy of the People, 1989).