End of an era: Maker of 'Agniswar' dies

Kolkata: Acclaimed director Aurobindo Mukherjee - the maker of super hits like 'Agniswar', 'Dhonni Meye' and 'Nishi Padma' - breathed his last in Kolkata on Wednesday morning. He was 96.
Mukherjee, who quit studying medicine to make movies, is considered one of the doyens of Bengali cinema. His first film, 'Kichhukhon', got him the President's Award. And his 'Nishi Padma', starring Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterjee, was remade in Hindi by Shakti Samanta as 'Amar Prem'.Mukherjee wrote the screenplay for this, which won him a Filmfare Award.
Madhabi Mukherjee, who acted in 'Agniswar' and 'Nokol Sona', called it the "loss of a historic personality in Bengali cinema". "I lost him on my birthday today. It's my misfortune that I couldn't go and pay my last respects to him," she told TOI.
The brother of celebrated author Bonophool, Mukherjee was blessed with the art of telling stories. "There was a time when he used to work as assistant director for Sreemati Pictures. We would often meet in the studio. If only someone had penned down his stories, it would have helped in archiving our film history," said Madhabi. It was 'Dhonni Meye' that propelled Jaya Bachchan (Bhaduri then) to fame.
Madhabi recalled how Mukherjee once narrated his meeting with Tagore along with Bonophool. "On being asked his name, Aurobindo-da had said 'Kanai' in his characteristic thin, nice voice. Tagore told him that it sounded as sweet as the music of a shehnai," Madhabi said.
He was one of the most 'carefree souls', Madhabi said. "I'd call him 'atmabhola'. Once, during an outdoor shoot, he was brushing his teeth and complained how the toothpaste wasn't creating enough foam. Sensing something wrong, someone asked him to show what he had used. It turned out that he had brushed his teeth with Borolin," the actress recalled.