Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee dies after drowning; film industry mourns loss

Popular Bengali film industry actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee died after drowning on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The film community in West Bengal was left in shock following the actor’s demise. He is survived by his son and wife, actress Priyanka Sarkar.

The actor drowned in the Bay of Bengal near the West Bengal-Odisha border district in Talsari while shooting for a television serial.

Initial reports suggested that he entered the water alone after filming wrapped, and panic spread after he disappeared. The film crew at the scene managed to pull him out of the water and take him to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“This is a time of immense pain and deep despair for us. At this difficult moment, we sincerely request space and privacy,” Ms. Sarkar wrote on her social media account on Instagram.

He starred in many popular Bengali films such as and rose to fame with his first film C.Herodini Tumi Je Amar (2008), HHe later starred in many popular movies such as T.umi Asbe Bole (2014),Zulfikar (2016), B.yomkesh gotro (2018), B.iday Byomkesh (2018) and T.Academy of Fine Arts (2025).

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her shock and condolences following the news of the actor’s death. “I can’t understand how this happened. He was one of my favorite actors and a wonderful person,” Ms Banerjee wrote on social media account X.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Digha Mohit Mollah said no formal complaint had been made regarding the death. “We are sending his body for autopsy,” Mr. Molla said Sunday night.

Industry mourns

The Bengali film industry was left in shock on Sunday, March 29, 2026, as a large number of industry members visited the deceased actor’s house in large numbers and stood by his family.

Minister Aroop Biswas, veteran actor Prasenjit Chatterjee, Gaurav Chakraborty, actor Sohini Sarkar and many others visited his house.

“This is a huge loss for me personally,” said actor Sudipta Chakraborty while visiting the late actor’s house.