Dutta made his debut in 2012 with ‘Bhooter Bhabishyat’, a film now considered a landmark in contemporary Bengali cinema. His last release, ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’, hit screens in September 2025.
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Acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Anik Dutta died on Wednesday after falling from the terrace of his multi-storey residence in South Kolkata. He was taken to a private hospital near Dhakuria, where doctors declared him brought dead. Police officials confirmed the incident and have begun an investigation into the circumstances of the fall.
The family has not issued any statement so far. The news spread quickly across the film industry, drawing actors, directors, colleagues to the hospital.
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Dutta reportedly fell from the terrace of his home in South Kolkata on Wednesday morning. A senior police officer confirmed that he was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
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Police examined the spot and have launched a formal investigation. The exact cause and circumstances of the fall are yet to be out.
Anik Dutta was a Bengali film director, screenwriter, lyricist, and dialogue writer. He was born on May 22 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He worked primarily in Bengali cinema and was popular for films that mixed humour, nostalgia, social commentary.
Anik was the grandson of Narendra Chandra Dutta, the founder of United Bank of India.
Dutta made his directorial debut in 2012 with ‘Bhooter Bhabishyat’, a horror-comedy set in a haunted heritage building. The film used the ghost story format as a vehicle for sharp political and social satire. It became one of the highest-grossing Bengali films of its time. The film is widely popular as a landmark in contemporary Bengali cinema. Dutta won the Best Director award at the Anandalok Awards for the film, along with the Zee Bangla Gaurav Samman for directorial debut.
In 2013, he directed ‘Aschorjo Prodip’, based on a novel by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.
His 2017 film ‘Meghnad Badh Rahasya’ continued his engagement with Bengali literary and cultural heritage. In 2019, he made ‘Bhobishyoter Bhoot’, a satirical sequel to his debut film.
In 2020, Dutta directed ‘Borunbabur Bondhu’, a comedy-drama about an elderly man and his friendship with a young boy. The film earned him the Best Director award at the West Bengal Film Journalists’ Association (WBFJA) Awards in 2022.
His 2022 film ‘Aparajito’ was a tribute to the making of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’. The film swept eight BFJA Awards in 2023, including Best Film and Best Director. It also won Best Screenplay at the 21st Dhaka International Film Festival. At the National Film Awards in 2024, ‘Aparajito’ received awards for Best Production Design and Best Makeup.
His most recent film, ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’ released on September 26, 2025. It was a detective mystery thriller set during Durga Puja in Kolkata. The film starred Abir Chatterjee and Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, and ran for more than 25 days in theatres.
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