Veteran Bengali actress Mithu Mukherjee has died at the age of 71 after battling cancer for nearly a year. She passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai on Sunday night, September 20, 2026.

Mukherjee was one of the familiar faces of Bengali cinema during the 1970s and 1980s. Born in Kolkata in 1955, she entered the film industry at the age of 17, making her acting debut in Chitta Bose’s 1972 film Shesh Parba.

She gained wider recognition for her performance in Dinen Gupta’s Marjina Abdulla, in which she played the lead role. She subsequently appeared in several notable Bengali films, including Nishi Kanya, Mouchak, Swayamsiddha, Hotel Snow Fox, Bhagyachakra and Sandhi.

Mukherjee also ventured into Hindi cinema, making her debut with Dulal Guha’s Khaan Dost in 1976. She later appeared in films including Safed Jhoot, Dillagi and Do Ladke Dono Kadke.

Although she later stepped away from the public eye, Mukherjee returned to the screen in 1990 with Ashrita, which became her final film. She subsequently lived a largely private life in Mumbai.

Death prompted tributes from members of the Indian film industry. Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee mourned her passing, while the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also paid tribute to the veteran actress and remembered her contribution to Bengali and Indian cinema.

Mithu Mukherjee is survived by a body of work spanning Bengali and Hindi cinema, particularly from the 1970s and 1980s. Her death marks the loss of a veteran performer who remained associated with an important period in Indian cinema.