Popular Bengali actor and politician Joy Banerjee has died at the age of 61 in Kolkata.
Banerjee passed away on Monday morning at 11:30am at a private hospital off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, where he had been undergoing treatment for severe respiratory illness. Hospital sources confirmed he had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was placed on ventilation on 17 August, following his admission two days earlier.
Born in 1963, Banerjee was drawn to cinema from an early age. He made his acting debut opposite actress Debashree Roy, but it was filmmaker Anjan Choudhury’s 1990s hit Hirak Jayanti that established him as a household name. His on-screen pairing with actress Chumki Choudhury became immensely popular with audiences, though their off-screen relationship eventually ended.
Banerjee’s personal life often made headlines. He first married actress and Trinamool Congress councillor Ananya Banerjee, but the relationship did not last. Later, he married Ankita Banerjee, who survives him, along with his mother.
By the late 1990s, Banerjee gradually stepped away from cinema and turned to politics. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Lok Sabha elections from Birbhum in 2014 and Uluberia in 2019, though he was unsuccessful in both attempts. He rose to become a member of the BJP’s state committee in West Bengal, where his star power was seen as an asset during campaigns.
However, in November 2021, Banerjee publicly announced that he was stepping away from active politics and would no longer represent the BJP.
Despite his departure from both cinema and frontline politics in recent years, Banerjee remained a recognisable public figure in Bengal, remembered as much for his screen charisma as for his controversial political journey.
News of his death has sparked tributes from both the Bengali film fraternity and political colleagues, many recalling his contributions to the silver screen and his attempt to bridge cinema and public service.
Banerjee is survived by his wife, Ankita Banerjee, and his mother.
