Noted film star Pradeep Kumar passes away
Veteran film actor Pradeep Kumar died in a city hospital in Kolkata last night. He was 76 and is survived by his actress-daughter Bina and a son.
The screen legend’s health had been failing him in his final years. Kumar, who was admitted to Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan Hospital on October 22 with cardio vascular problem, breathed his last at 7.25 pm (IST).
Born on January 4, 1925, Pradeep Kumar’s original name was Sital Batabyal and got his screen name from film director Devaki Kumar Basu.
Pradeep Kumar started his career as an assistant cameraman and switched over to acting when he got a role in the Bengali film Alakananda. The thespian actor gave many memorable performances.
In a career spanning more than three decades, he had acted in more than 50 Bengali films and a large number of Hindi movies. His prominent Bengali movies were Anandamath, Grihadaha (with Uttam Kumar), Bishnupriya, Dashuman, Rai Bahadur, Devi Chowdhurani and Sandipan.
He switched to Hindi films and shot into fame with Anarkarli in 1954. During his career, Kumar acted alongside many screen legends like Meena Kumari, Nargis, Madhubala, Suchitra Sen and Mala Sinha.
Some of his most memorable films are Taj Mahal, Sahajahan, Bahu Begum and Raat Aur Din.