Happy Birthday, Victor Banerjee: The Actor Who Has Worked With Roman Polanski And James Ivory

Actor Victor Banerjee, known for his prolific body of work in Hindi, Bengali and English films turns 78 today, ie- on October 15, 2024. He is known for his brilliant acting prowess in the films Bitter Moon, High Life and others. However, it was the film A Passage to India that made him dominate the headlines in foreign cinema.

David Lean directed this film and Victor Banerjee played the role of Dr Aziz in it. Victor received numerous awards and accolades for his acting prowess in A Passage to India under the best actor category. He was the recipient of the Evening Standard British Film Awards as well under the best actor section. He also won the National Board of Review Award for his role. A Passage to India featured an ensemble star cast of actors Judy Davis, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox and others in important roles. It was released on the big screens in 1984.

He has worked with a diverse range of directors, including Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, and Montazur Rahman Akbar.

Apart from acting, Victor Banerjee is also known for sharing his opinions on different subjects. In an earlier interview with the Press Trust of India, he was quoted as saying, “Bollywood is a cancer. Hindi commercial cinema has denigrated women.”

“We owe a debt of ingratitude to Bollywood for having insidiously polluted our culture covertly,” Banerjee told PTI on the sidelines of the BCIM Car Rally from Kolkata to Kunming held in 2013. The veteran actor had joined the rally with 79 other participants. All the participants watched many cultural programmes hosted by the state and provincial governments of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.

Currently, Victor Banerjee is living in Mussoorie. In August, he suffered a mild brain stroke and was admitted to the Max Hospital in Dehradun. The doctor stated that the actor’s condition had improved a lot and there was a strong likelihood of his getting discharged from the hospital soon. His wife Maya was with him. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi spoke to Sonika, the Dehradun District Magistrate, to provide Victor help if needed.