Sujan Dasgupta, creator of new-age sleuth Eken (Ekendra Sen) that is now a popular series on OTT, passed away at age of 80 at his Survey Park home in Kolkata.
Police had to break open the door of his apartment, after there was no response when a help turned up in the morning. He was found lying on the floor. His body has been sent for post-mortem.
Dasgupta’s wife was in Santiniketan and the author was alone at home on Wednesday, January 18. Their daughter lives in the USA.
Dasgupta’s first Ekenbabu story was Manhattane Moonstone. The stories have been adapted into a six-season web series on Hoi Choi titled Eken Babu and into a film called The Eken, which was released in 2022. Anirban Chakrabarti plays the titular role in both the web series and the film.
Chakrabarti described Dasgupta as “a witty man who could easily get acquainted with people across all ages”.
“I am devastated by the news. I initially thought it to be a rumour, but soon learnt it was a reality. My popularity as an actor is largely because of the character (Ekendra Sen). We were in regular touch and met whenever he was in the city,” said the actor, who was supposed to visit Dasgupta on January 24. “We used to chat on various topics. Those memories and his love and affection for me and my work are now paying me a visit.”
Also the author of Koutuki and Sujan Katha among many other books, Dasgupta was active on social media. His last Facebook post was about his grandchildren watching The Eken on a flight from New York to Kolkata.
The author's last post on Facebook Facebook
Actor Anirban Chakrabarti, bibliophiles and netizens have mourned his death.