Veteran actor Mithu Mukherjee, a prominent star of 1970s and 1980s Bengali and Hindi cinema, passed away at the age of 71 on Sunday night, September 20, 2026, at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She succumbed to a long-standing illness after undergoing medical treatment for cancer over the past year. Mukherjee had relocated to Mumbai permanently in her later years, stepping completely away from public life and the film industry after her final screen appearance in the 1990 film Ashrita.
Mukherjee debuted in 1972 with Shesh Parba and quickly established herself as a lead actress in regional hits like Mouchak, Nishikanya, and Swayamsiddha, co-starring alongside icons Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chattopadhyay. She crossed over into Hindi cinema during the mid-1970s, making her Bollywood debut in Khaan Dost (1976) opposite Shatrughan Sinha, followed by roles in Basu Chatterjee’s Safed Jhoot (1977), Dillagi (1978), and Do Ladke Dono Kadke (1978). Following news of her passing, industry bodies and prominent cinema figures expressed grief, citing her departure as the loss of a major screen talent from Indian cinema's golden era.
