Bengali Actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee Dies in Drowning Incident

Popular Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee has died after drowning in the Bay of Bengal during a filming session on Sunday, March 29, 2026. His untimely death has sent shockwaves through the film fraternity in West Bengal. He is survived by his son and his wife, actor Priyanka Sarkar.

According to initial reports, Banerjee entered the water alone after the filming concluded. Despite efforts from the production crew to locate him, panic ensued when he went missing beneath the waves. Unfortunately, he was recovered from the water and transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Priyanka Sarkar took to social media, expressing her profound sorrow. "This is a time of immense grief and deep despair for us. In this difficult moment, we sincerely request space and privacy," she wrote on Instagram.

Banerjee had a distinguished career in the Bengali film industry, rising to fame with his debut film "Chirodini Tumi Je Amar" in 2008. He went on to appear in several well-received films, including "Tumi Asbe Bole" (2014), "Zulfiqar" (2016), "Byomkesh Gotro" (2018), "Bidaay Byomkesh" (2018), and most recently, "The Academy of Fine Arts" (2025).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences following the news of his passing. "I just can’t make sense of how this happened. He was one of my favorite actors and a wonderful person," she remarked on social media platform X.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohit Mollah indicated that no formal complaint concerning the incident had been filed. He stated, "We are sending his body for postmortem."

The news of Banerjee's death has left many in the Bengali film industry devastated, with numerous colleagues visiting his home to pay their respects. High-profile figures such as Minister Aroop Biswas, veteran actor Prasenjit Chatterjee, and actor Sohini Sarkar were among those who showed their support to Banerjee's family during this difficult time. Actor Sudipta Chakraborty commented on the loss, saying, "This is a huge loss for me personally."