Director and Theater veteran Goutam Halder passes away, his film Bhalo Theko’s heroine visits his house to pay tribute

Renowned filmmaker Goutam Halder, 67, passed away early this Friday. He had been at his Salt Lake residence when he complained of chest pain. He was rushed and admitted to a private hospital but eventually succumbed to it. It was determined that he died of a heart attack.

A grieving Chief Minister of West Bengal took to X, formerly Twitter, to say, “Saddened by the demise of distinguished film director and theater personality Goutam Halder. His demise is a great loss to the world of culture. Condolences to his family members and admirers.”

Actress Vidya Balan, who had debuted in his 2003 film, Bhalo Theko, set off for Kolkata to pay her final homage to her ‘Guru.’ Only last month had Balan come to inaugurate puja pandals in Kolkata but had not missed out on visiting his house. In an interaction with Telegraph, she had said, “My film career began with Goutam da 20 years ago. That’s when I last visited his house. Today, I shall be going there again.”

But who could have prepared the actress for this tragic re-visit, as she arrived at the director’s house around 6.45pm on November 3. Vidya Balan was also seen hugging and comforting the theatre legend’s daughter. When asked by the press about her last, happy meeting with Goutam Halder in the pujas, Vidya Balan mournfully revealed that the two had been discussing the story of a new project for them to work together again.

Goutam Halder is known for films like Bhalo Theko (2003), Nirvana (2019), and documentaries like Strings of Freedom (1999), on Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. As a theater director, Halder has directed more than 80 plays, including his recent adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Rakta Karabi.