Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee tragically lost his life while attempting to rescue a female co-actor who slipped during a shoot at Talsari Beach, a report quoted eyewitnesses. The incident occurred on Sunday (March 29) while the team was filming scenes in shallow water along the coastline.
According to a report in The Telegraph, local witnesses stated the accident happened when the actors were standing in “knee-deep” water during a sequence that resembled a dance. A sudden slip caused the actress to fall into a depression in the uneven seabed.
“Rahulji was still standing when madam (the co-star) slipped and fell. She was wearing a sari and was trapped in the water. He went in, trying to save her,” Tapan Gangai, a local boatman who witnessed the incident from a distance, told the news portal.
Another boatman, Pulin, said that after Rahul was eventually pulled out of the water, locals tried to revive him before the crew stepped in. “He threw up some water. He was alive. He was groaning in pain. He was gasping for air. Then the crew (shooting the TV serial Rahul was acting in) took over,” Pulin reportedly said.
Earlier accounts from Digha Police stated that Rahul and the co-actor had been filming on a speedboat when strong waves caused both of them to fall into the sea. While crew members managed to rescue the actress quickly, it reportedly took nearly an hour to locate and retrieve Rahul from the water.
The 42-year-old actor was rushed to the Digha State General Hospital, located around 11 kilometres from Talsari, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The incident is now under investigation, with authorities examining the circumstances surrounding the shoot. Officials from Balasore Police stated that the production team had not sought permission from the Odisha police before filming at the location. “Had they informed us, we could have made the necessary arrangements,” an officer at Talsari police station said.
“For any such shooting, we keep a doctor’s team, lifeguards, rescue boats and police ready. There was none nearby on Sunday.”
Boatmen and at least one member of the production crew reportedly helped retrieve Rahul from the water.
Following the incident, an inquest was conducted at the Digha hospital, while the post-mortem examination took place at a hospital in Tamluk. According to police, preliminary findings revealed that the actor had inhaled a significant amount of sand and saline water.
Rahul’s body was later taken to his residence in Bijoygarh, where family members, friends and fans gathered to pay their last respects. His final rites were performed at the Keoratala Crematorium on Monday evening.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and launched a joint investigation involving authorities from both Odisha and West Bengal. Officials noted that statements from some crew members contained inconsistencies.
