Rituparna Sengupta, whose film ‘Muktodhara’ was hosted by Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2012, expressed her grief on the former Indian President’s passing away. “He was the most sought after person, who had a different mind of his own, who was beyond and more than politics”, she said.

Rituparna met the former President quite a lot of times, she adds “It was definitely an honor to know him and interacted with him personally. I remember that he always used to ask me about my films. His wife, Suvra Mukherjee, used to like my films a lot & was quite fond of me. I met her a few times while visiting Delhi also. She wanted to watch my film Muktodhara and we were invited to screen our film at the Rashtrapati Bhavan auditorium. It was a dream-come-true moment for me”.

“I’m not someone who watches a lot of films but this will remain with me for a long time”, the actress recalled the way Shri Pranab Mukherjee used to appreciate her work in Indian cinema. “The film ‘Muktodhara’ is all about a social reformer who changed the life of jail inmates and he was very pleased to see me in such an insightful role and praised a lot”, she added.

“The whole country will remember him for his work and contribution to the development and growth of India. He was not only a visionary politician, but also a great statesman and a fearless leader. Rarely in life, you come across people who leave an impact on you forever and he was one of them. Tuesday definitely was a sad day in Indian politics and for the whole country.”

Shri Pranab Mukherjee who was 84 years old, died on Monday evening in an army hospital in New Delhi. following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. ENDS