Heartbreaking scene at Talsari: Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee dies after drowning during shooting

According to reports, the actor had travelled to Talsari for the filming of a television serial when the incident occurred.

Crew members and technicians rushed to rescue him after noticing he was in distress in the water, but he could not be revived.

He was filming for the serial “Bhole Baba Par Karega” at the time of the incident, as reported by Anandabazar Patrika.

He was immediately taken to a hospital in Digha, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Rahul's former wife Priyanka Sarkar shared her first statement on the death of her husband, where she said she was passing through a moment of immense grief and deep despair.

Actor Bhaskar Banerjee, who played Rahul Banerjee’s on-screen uncle in the serial, told the newspaper, “He died by drowning. It is a tragic incident. The event occurred after the pack-up; however, exactly how it happened is not yet clear.”

Born in 1983, Rahul Banerjee made his Tollywood debut with Chirodini Tumi Je Amar (2008), which brought him widespread recognition.

Over the years, he worked across films, television, and OTT platforms, establishing himself as a familiar face in Bengali entertainment.

He worked in several popular Tollywood films like Jackpot, Jiyo Kaka, Kagojer Bou, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Chotushkon,  Byomkesh Phire Alo, Ebar Shabor, among others

In his personal life, he was married to actress Priyanka Sarkar. The couple, who have a son named Shahoj, separated in 2017 but reportedly reconciled in 2023 to co-parent their child.

2022 IBNS interview: Rahul's thoughts on death

In a 2022 interview with IBNS, Rahul Banerjee reflected on his deeply personal understanding of mortality, describing life as “an accident” and death as the only certainty.

"Rahul’s sudden departure is an irreparable loss for the Bengali acting world," Mamata Banerjee said on X.

Also Read: Death a thought that never leaves an artist: Rahul Banerjee who plays convict sentenced to death in Mrityupathojatri

He shared that the idea of death had always lingered with him—shaped by past accidents and close encounters with loss—and that for an artist, it remains a constant emotional undercurrent.

While portraying a role in a film that brought him uncomfortably close to confronting death, he admitted that the experience was so intense he eventually sought psychiatric help to shed its weight and return to normal life.

"I cannot come to terms," said film director Raj Charabarty on X about Rahul's untimely departure.

(Images credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS and Facebook of Rahul Arunodoy Banerjee)