Cinematographer Soumendu Roy, a trusted aide of Satyajit Ray, passed away at his Ballygunge home on Wednesday afternoon.
Roy was 90 and had been ailing. He was a bachelor.
Roy joined Ray’s crew during the shoot of Pather Panchali.
He eventually shot several of Ray’s films, including Teen Kanya, Ashani Sanket, Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Ghare Baire.
Roy, who also worked with directors Tapan Sinha and Buddhadeb Dasgupta, received many national and international awards.
He also taught at several institutes.
He was cremated at Keoratala burning ghat in the evening.
“Soumendu Roy had very large boots (of the legendary cinematographer Subrata Mitra) to fill. He did it with aplomb. Roy’s basics were very strong,” said filmmaker Anik Datta, who had interacted with Roy during the shoot of his film, Aparajito, which looks back at Ray’s foray into the medium and the journey to his first movie.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on X (formerly Twitter): “I am deeply saddened by the demise of the noted cinematographer Soumendu Roy. He worked for a long time with the legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray.... Besides cinematography, he was also an adviser to Rupkala Kendra.... His death is an irreparable loss to the world of cinema...”
