Bengali actor-turned politician Tapas Pal passed away in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest in the wee hours of Tuesday, 18 February. Pal was formerly an MP of the Trinamool Congress.
He had gone to Mumbai to visit his daughter, when he complained of chest pain at the Mumbai airport during his return to Kolkata and was rushed to a hospital in Juhu but died around 4 am, reports PTI.
He had been suffering from heart ailments and been to hospitals several times for treatment during the past two years.
Films And Early Life
Pal was born in West Bengal's Chandannagar town in 1958 and completed his graduation from the Hooghly Mohsin College.
His debuted in Bengali cinema in 1980 with Tarun Majumdar's 'Dadar Kirti'. Over time he made a name in the industry with movies like Saheb, Bhalobasha Bhalobasha, Parbat Priya, Amar Bandhan and more. In 1984, he was cast opposite Madhuri Dixit in Abodh, which was also her debut film.
Over the course of his acting career he has worked with actors like Soumitra Chatterjee, Prosenjit, Debashree Roy, Moushumi Chatterjee and others.
His acting career spanned three decades. He was last seen in the movie Khiladi (2013).
Politics & Controversies
Pal joined the Trinamool Congress in 2000 and was elected as MLA for two terms (2001-2006 and 2006-2009) from West Bengal's Alipore constituency.
He was elected Member of Parliament from Krishnanagar in 2009 and continued till 2019.
In 2014, Pal courted controversy when he was caught on camera threatening the CPI(M) that he would “send his boys” to rape “their women”.
“...Leaders are created by workers. I am also a goonda. I will shoot you if a Trinamool Congress worker is ever attacked. If you have the guts, then stop me. Keep this is in mind...If you insult the mothers and daughters of Trinamool workers. Then I won’t spare you. I will let loose my boys in your homes and they will commit rape. I will teach each of you a lesson,” Pal was caught saying on camera.
He later claimed that he said "raid" and not "rape".
He was also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata on 30 December 2016 in connection with the multi-crore rupees Rose Valley Chit Fund scam, and had been taken to Bhubaneswar for further questioning.
He is survived by his wife Nandini Paul, who was a former participant of ‘Bigg Boss Bangla’, and daughter Shohini who is also an actor.
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