Kolkata, April 5 – Artists and technicians in the Bengali film and television industry have decided to halt all filming, indefinitely, starting April 7, in protest of the death of actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee and to demand safety measures for actors.
This decision was announced after a meeting of the West Bengal Artists' Forum at Technicians Studio on Sunday.
The actors in the Tollywood film industry staged a protest on Saturday afternoon to condemn the tragic death of Rahul Arunoday Banerjee on March 29 while filming a Bengali television series in Talsari beach in Odisha.
On Saturday, the West Bengal Artists' Forum filed an FIR at the Regent Park police station, accusing the production company of being responsible for the incident.
On the same day, Rahul's wife and actress Priyanka Sarkar, went to the Talsari police station from Kolkata and filed an FIR.
On Sunday evening, the artists came together to express their support for Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's family.
Actors Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Shantilal Mukherjee, Anjana Basu, Jishu Sengupta, Rupanjana Mitra, Bidipta Chakraborty, and many others were also present at the Sunday meeting.
On behalf of the Artists' Forum, Shantilal Mukherjee announced that filming would be halted indefinitely.
He added, "Yesterday, we filed an FIR at the Regent Park police station on behalf of the Artists' Forum. We stand with Rahul Arunoday Banerjee and his family."
He stated that the decision to halt filming was made by the 4,000 members of the forum, the 7,000 technician members of the federation, and all the crew.
Shantilal Mukherjee said, "This is a fight for safety and to protect all of us. We are vulnerable. We go out for filming, but I don't know if I will be able to return. Rahul Arunoday Banerjee has taught us. Therefore, we will go on strike starting Tuesday morning."
On behalf of the federation, Swarup Biswas said, "We didn't want this to happen. But no one is taking responsibility. For the purpose of filming, the artists and crew have to face a lot of risks. Sometimes they have to go into the river, sometimes the sea, sometimes the mountains. No one has ever backed down. Everyone risks their lives and continues. Everyone tries their best. We all want to save this industry. Lakhs of people work in this industry."
Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee also echoed this sentiment on Sunday.
"Artists, crew, and everyone need protection during their work. Security should be mandatory for everyone. Because everyone is very worried about this incident," he added.
From now on, there is a demand that an ambulance should be available at every filming location.
Taking lessons from Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's incident, the actors and crew have made such demands. Therefore, in addition to demanding justice for the late actor's death, they have also demanded their own safety.
Actress Rituparna Sengupta said, "Rahul Arunoday Banerjee is no more. We will fight until the end. The way he left is not acceptable. He left us all together. His death raised the question, 'Are we safe at all?' The entire industry has come together and decided to go on strike."
Members of the Artist's Forum and Federation will be present at the Technicians Studio at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to observe the strike.
Director Kaushik Gangopadhyay said, "I will ask all the producers, directors, artists, and crew to come this morning. Accidents happen suddenly. They cannot be predicted in advance. However, there should be some rules so that the dignity of the artist and his family remain intact."
It is to be noted that all movie and TV serial shootings will be stopped from Tuesday.
On March 29, the 42-year-old actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee was filming for the television series 'Bhole Baba Paar Karega'.
The actor entered the water at Talsari just as the tide was coming in, and he was swept away. However, technicians subsequently pulled him out of the water.
Preliminary reports indicate that Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's death was caused by drowning, following which a case of unnatural death has been registered at the Digha Police Station.
The tragic incident has brought the entire Bengali film and television industry to a standstill.
Fellow actors, directors, and technicians have expressed shock at the actor's death. The late actor is survived by his mother, his wife, actress Priyanka Sarkar, and his 13-year-old son.
A section of actors in the Bengali film and television industry demanded a comprehensive and impartial investigation into his death.
Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, known in the Bengali television industry for his character roles, had been actively involved in television serials for several years.
He gained fame with his role in the blockbuster 'Chirodini tumi je amar' in 2008, followed by hits such as 'Tumi asbe bole' (2014), 'Zulfiqar' (2016), 'Byomkesh Gotro' (2018), 'Biday Byomkesh' (2018), 'The Academy of Fine Arts' (2025), among others. He had also acted in TV serials such as 'Hargouri Pice Hotel' and 'Mohonna'.