Keya Chakraborty: The first actor who drowned while shooting in Bengal

Actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's mishap near Talsari in Digha on Sunday evening, brings back memories of another mishap to mind. Similar to the way Rahul has drowned in the sea while shooting for his television serial Bhole Baba Par Karega, around 48-years-ago, talented actress Keya Chakraborty too drowned in a river while shooting for a film.

How Keya Chakraborty drowned mysteriously in West Bengal while shooting for a film

Keya Chakraborty, one of most powerful actors of Bengali theatre, drowned in the Hooghly while shooting for a Bengali film by Swadesh Sarkar, Jeevan Je Rokom (Life As It Is), where Keya was playing the role of a blind mother.

Keya died on March 12, 1977 when she fell in the river near Sankrail. It is still debated whether foul play was involved. Reportedly, she jumped into the Ganges from the boat in a particular scene and was washed away. The body was recovered with multiple injuries.

She was the leading lady of theatre group Nandikar. She played memorable roles in Tin Poisar Pala, Bhalomanush (Bengali versions of Brecht’s Three Penny Opera and Good Person of Szechwan) and Antigone.

Natoker Moto, Paoli Dam's film based on the life of Keya Chakraborty

Actor-director Debesh Chattopadhyay turned a filmmaker with Natoker Moto, which sees Kheya (Paoli Dam), a notable actress, who dies by drowning while shooting a film.

This film is about the journey of Kheya, and her multi-dimensional experience as a girl, a woman and an artiste. While the film depicts the scenario of Kolkata's socio-cultural circuit spanning from 1950 to 1970s, it also tries to bring about the struggles and conflicts that a female artiste had to go through even after two decades of globalisation.

The film, through an investigation of the sudden demise of an extremely reputed actress (based on the life of Keya) delves into an ongoing search behind the causes of ceaseless conflicts a female artiste has to confront and is made to remain submissive in the paradigm of male domination. However, this film is envisaged to be in coherence with the belief in the unending journey of the artist who still remains alive with the lively river and the living art.

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