Manoj Mitra Age, Death, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Banchharam
Profession(s)	Theatre Artist, Film & TV Actor, Film Director, Playwright, Painter
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Grey (half bald)
Career
Debut	Theatre Play (As a writer): Bogol Dhiman
Awards & Honours	• 1980: Filmfare Award East for Best Actor • 1985: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Best Playwright • 1986: Calcutta University Award for Best Playwright • 1983 & 1989: West Bengal State Government Award for Best Playwright • 2005: Asiatic Society's Gold Medal • 2011: Munir Chowdhury Award from Bangladesh Theatre Society • 2012: Dinabandhu Puraskar • 2012: Kalakar Award
Personal Life
Date of Birth	22 December 1938 (Thursday)
Birthplace	Chokkamokkai, Satkhira, Khulna Division, Bengal Presidency, British India (now India)
Date of Death	12 November 2024
Place of Death	Kolkata
Age (at the time of death)	85 Years
Death Cause	Age-related ailments
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Kolkata, West Bengal
School	Dandirhat N K U S Niketan in Basirhat, West Bengal
College/University	• Scottish Church College (SCC), Kolkata • University of Calcutta, Kolkata
Educational Qualification(s)	• Graduation in Philosophy Honours (1958) at Scottish Church College (SCC), Kolkata • MA in Philosophy at University of Calcutta, Kolkata
Family
Parents	Father- Ashok Kumar Mitra (government employee)
Siblings	Brother- Amar Mitra (writer)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manoj Mitra

• Initially, Manoj Mitra started his schooling at home as his father had a transferrable job.

• In childhood, he used to love watching street plays and jatras (organised during Durga Puja), but his parents did not allow him to participate in such plays.

• While he was pursuing his graduation, he participated in various theatre plays and from there, he started developing an interest in acting and writing plays.

• Manoj, along with his friends, then started a theatre group named Sundaram. He once shared that he learnt about theatre from his theatre guru Manmath Roy.

• After completing his graduation, he started writing short stories which were published in a few magazines.

• After post-graduation, he wanted to pursue a doctorate, but as he had started his theatre group, he decided to focus on his theatre group.

• A few months later, he started working as a philosophy teacher at Suri Vidyasagar College, West Bengal. However, he worked there for a day only and then joined the drama department at Rabindra Bharati University, West Bengal. Later, he became head of the department there.

• Along with his job there, he worked as a playwright and became a renowned Bengali playwright.

• Manoj had penned down many popular Bengali plays like Sajano Bagaan, Chokhe Angul Dada, Kaalbihongo, Parabas, Ranger Haat, and Ja Nei Bharate. He had also performed in various theatre plays written by him.
  

  Manoj Mitra in a theatre play

• He also wrote scripts for a few Bengali films like ‘Bancharamer Bagan’ (1980) and ‘Mohanar Dike’ (1984).

• In 1984, he became a member of the Contemporary Artists Group. In his paintings, he mainly focused on the beauty of nature and a woman. His paintings are displayed at various institutions like Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, and Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan.
  

  A painting made by Manoj Mitra

• He acted in many Bengali films like ‘Bancharamer Bagan’ (1980), ‘Baidurya Rahasya’ (1985), ‘Judge Saheb’ (1989), ‘Pati Param Guru’ (1991), and ‘Tritiyo Purush’ (2022).
  

  Bancharamer Bagan (1980)

• He authored various books like ‘The Theatre of Conscience,’ ‘Benchharam’s Orchard and an Encounter with Royalty,’ and ‘Saiyan Beiman.’
  

  The Theatre of Conscience

• In 2018, his theatre group Sundaram’s assets were thrown out on the roads claiming that even after several court notices, he did not evict the property where the Sundaram theatre group was operating. However, Manoj said that he did not receive any summons from the court to evict the property. Whereas the son of the co-owner (Sanjay Kumar Basu) of the theatre group said that Manoj was manipulating the truth.
  

  Assets of the Sundaram Theatre Group lying on the road

• In August 2019, he resigned from the post of President of the Paschim Banga Natya Akademi after his health started deteriorating.

• In his leisure time, he enjoyed reading books and making paintings.
  

  Manoj Mitra reading a book

• On 23 September 2024, he started having breathing issues. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors diagnosed him with sodium-potassium imbalance and other age-related health issues. Earlier, in February 2024, after he had some chest pain, he was admitted to the cardiology department of IPGMER SSKM Hospital Kolkata after which he underwent surgery and a pacemaker was installed.

• He breathed his last on 12 November 2024 after his health started worsening at around 8.50 am.