Kolkata: Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee has tested positive for COVID-19, his daughter Poulomi Basu said Tuesday. Soumitra Chatterjee has been admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata in the morning, she informed.
The 85-year-old actor had a fever for the last three days. Chatterjee tested positive for COVID-19 Monday night, stated Poulomi. “Baba (father) is stable now. He is fully conscious. He is under observation due to his advancing age,” Poulomi stated.
Chatterjee has been shifted to a cabin, a spokesperson of the hospital said. He also stated that Chatterjee had joked with doctors who were attending to him.
In the last two months, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning actor had been shooting for a biopic and a documentary on his life. In spite of his advancing years, Chatterjee has not stopped working because ‘acting helps him learn something new every day’. However, he has now cut down on his working hours and limits his shift to four hours.
Chatterjee has played the lead role in 14 films directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray. Among those are Pather Panchali, Abhijan, Charulata, Ghare Baire and Sonar Kella to name a few. In 2012, he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema given by the government of India for lifetime achievement. He has won two National Film Awards also.
