# Tapas Paul (তপস পাল)
**Tapas Paul** (তপস পাল; 29 September 1958 – 18 February 2020) was an Indian film actor who became one of the most popular stars of Bengali cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, and later a politician of the All India Trinamool Congress who served as a member of the [West Bengal Legislative Assembly](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-bengal-legislative-assembly) and as a member of Parliament from [Krishnanagar](https://www.edgepedia.org/krishnanagar).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0657185/) • [2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) On screen he was best known for playing the good-natured everyman, the "bhalo chele" (good boy) of Bengali melodrama.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1958, Chandannagar, Hooghly, West Bengal; 18 February 2020, Mumbai, aged 61[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0657185/) • [4](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) |
| Debut | *Dadar Kirti* (1980), directed by Tarun Majumdar, opposite Mahua Roychoudhury[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/film-frat-remembers-a-good-friend-a-fine-actor-and-a-foodie/articleshow/74192448.cms) |
| Award | Filmfare Award for *Saheb* (1981)[2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) |
| Hindi films | *Abodh* (1984), the debut film of Madhuri Dixit, directed by Hiren Nag[6](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) |
| Politics | Trinamool Congress; MLA from Alipore 2001 and 2006; MP from Krishnanagar 2009 and 2014[2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) |
| Arrest | Detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Rose Valley chit fund case on 30 December 2016; bail after 13 months[7](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) |
| Death cause | Cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hospital, after years of neurological and cardiovascular illness[8](https://tfipost.com/2020/02/why-the-death-of-tapas-paul-a-veteran-actor-of-bengali-cinema-evoked-no-heartfelt-obituaries-from-people/) |
## Film career
Paul entered films at the age of 22 in *Dadar Kirti* (1980), directed by Tarun Majumdar, a commercial success that made him a star almost immediately; he played Kedar, a simple village boy opposite Mahua Roychoudhury.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/film-frat-remembers-a-good-friend-a-fine-actor-and-a-foodie/articleshow/74192448.cms) • [6](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) He then delivered a run of hits: *Saheb* (1981), *Parabat Priya* (1984), *Bhalobasa Bhalobasa* (1985), *Anurager Choyan* (1986), *Amar Bandhan* (1986) and *Guru Dakshina* (1987).[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/film-frat-remembers-a-good-friend-a-fine-actor-and-a-foodie/articleshow/74192448.cms) His films, heavy on emotional drama and songs, ran to packed theaters for weeks at a time when single screens were the mainstay of Bengali cinema.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/film-frat-remembers-a-good-friend-a-fine-actor-and-a-foodie/articleshow/74192448.cms)
He received a Filmfare Award for his performance in *Saheb*; that film was later remade in Hindi with [Anil Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/anil-kapoor) in the lead.[2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) • [9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms) In 1984 he went to [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), playing opposite [Madhuri Dixit](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhuri-dixit) in *Abodh*, which was also Dixit's debut film; the film flopped, and Paul's Hindi career did not continue.[6](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) His on-screen pairings with Mahua Roychoudhury and Debashree Roy were among the most demanded of the period; with Debashree Roy he made hits including *Arpon*, *Surer Sathi*, *Surer Akashe*, *Nayanmoni*, *Chokher Aloey* and *Tobu Mone Rekho* (1994).[10](https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/tollywood/u2nv59tu8z) • [2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp)
**Art-house work.** Through the 1990s he often played the suffering elder brother in Anjan Chaudhury family dramas, second to [Prosenjit Chatterjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/prosenjit-chatterjee), the industry's leading star.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) Art-house filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta then cast him in three films: *Uttara* (2001), as a wrestler; *Mondo Meyer Upakhyan* (2002), as a driver; and *Janala*, as a thief. Dasgupta called him "one of the best of actors in his time" and recalled that Paul accompanied him to Venice when *Uttara* won the Best Director award at the Venice International Film Festival.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/tapas-paul-was-one-of-the-best-of-actors-of-his-time-buddhadeb-dasgupta/articleshow/74190141.cms)
The size of his filmography is reported inconsistently: the Times of India wrote that he acted in over 400 Bengali films,[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms) while [Prothom Alo](https://www.edgepedia.org/prothom-alo) put his total at 72, with *Khiladi* (2013) as his last release.[12](https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/tollywood/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B7-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F)
## Politics
Paul joined the Trinamool Congress in 2001 and won the Alipore assembly seat in 2001 and 2006.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) • [2](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp) In 2009 he was elected to the [Lok Sabha](https://www.edgepedia.org/lok-sabha) from Krishnanagar, and was re-elected there in 2014.[13](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bengali-actor-former-tmc-mp-tapas-paul-dies-at-61/story-2zDTSqweQ7rYaCeTCoxdNM_amp.html) His rural popularity was cited as a reason the party fielded him in 2009.[14](https://indianexpress.com/article/india/tapas-pal-bengali-actor-and-former-mp-passes-away-6273270/)
**Controversies.** In June 2014, at a memorial meeting in Haranagar village in Nakashipara, Krishnanagar, he made a threatening speech against opponents; a video in which he threatened violence and rape of opponents of Trinamool workers spread widely and drew criticism across the state and in Parliament.[6](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) • [15](https://www.hindustantimes.com/between-the-reel-and-the-real-falls-the-shadow-the-two-facets-of-actor-tapas-paul-s-life/story-wW7dVF02RwdokeY4pzI2xL_amp.html) His wife Nandini Paul apologized after the speech, and the [Calcutta High Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/calcutta-high-court) ordered an FIR against him over the remarks.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) • [16](https://indianexpress.com/about/tapas-paul/)
In December 2016 the [Central Bureau of Investigation](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-bureau-of-investigation) arrested him in the [Rose Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-valley) chit fund case, one of Bengal's collapsed deposit-collection schemes; he was taken to Odisha the next day and spent much of his custody in hospital. He received bail after 13 months in custody.[7](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) India Today described him as a brand ambassador of the Rose Valley group and reported he had been an accused in the case.[17](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tapas-paul-death-sets-off-political-slugfest-bengal-1648080-2020-02-19) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) reported that his alleged involvement in the scam was one reason he was not given a Trinamool ticket for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.[14](https://indianexpress.com/article/india/tapas-pal-bengali-actor-and-former-mp-passes-away-6273270/) In 2018 he made a short comeback, appearing in Debaditya Bandopadhyay's short film *Du Taka*, which drew over 200,000 online views but did not restore his film career.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms)
## Death
Paul had suffered declining neurological and cardiovascular health in his final years.[8](https://tfipost.com/2020/02/why-the-death-of-tapas-paul-a-veteran-actor-of-bengali-cinema-evoked-no-heartfelt-obituaries-from-people/) He traveled to Mumbai on 28 January 2020 to visit his daughter Sohini, an actor, and was admitted to a private hospital there from 1 February, where he was placed on a ventilator.[7](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936) He was taken off the ventilator on 6 February, his condition worsened again, and he died of cardiac arrest around 3:30 to 3:40 in the morning of 18 February 2020.[18](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/actor-politician-tapas-pal-dies-of-cardiac-arrest-at-61-2181694) • [9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms) His death set off a political exchange in [West Bengal](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-bengal), with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blaming central agencies' pressure and the BJP blaming neglect by the Trinamool.[17](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tapas-paul-death-sets-off-political-slugfest-bengal-1648080-2020-02-19)
## Place in Bengali cinema
Paul, together with Chiranjeet and then Prosenjit Chatterjee, formed what the Times of India called a troika that helped the Bengali film industry survive commercially after the death of [Uttam Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttam-kumar) in July 1980.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms) Film historian Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, associated with [Jadavpur University](https://www.edgepedia.org/jadavpur-university)'s film studies department, described him as "the quintessential bhalo chele of Bengali cinema," the identifiable next-door figure whose later political image audiences found hard to reconcile with the screen persona.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/) Hours after his death, Madhuri Dixit tweeted that "the loss of Tapas Paul, who was one of the first actors I have worked with, is felt by many."[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms)
## References
1. [Tapas Pal, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0657185/)
2. [অভিনেতা থেকে নেতা: তাপস পালের বর্ণময় জীবন (1958-2020), ABP Ananda](https://bengali.abplive.com/entertainment/tapas-paul-1958-2020-666609/amp)
3. [From bhalo chele to a controversial politician, Tapas Paul's rocky journey, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/from-bhalo-chele-to-a-controversial-politician-tapas-pauls-rocky-journey-6274446/lite/)
4. [Bengali actor, former TMC MP Tapas Paul dies at 61, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bengali-actor-former-tmc-mp-tapas-paul-dies-at-61/story-2zDTSqweQ7rYaCeTCoxdNM_amp.html)
5. [Film frat remembers a good friend, a fine actor and a foodie, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/film-frat-remembers-a-good-friend-a-fine-actor-and-a-foodie/articleshow/74192448.cms)
6. [রাজনীতির ইনিংসে বিতর্কই সঙ্গী থাকল 'দাদার কীর্তি'র কেদারের, Anandabazar Patrika](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936)
7. [রোজভ্যালি গ্রেফতার ও জামিন প্রসঙ্গে, Anandabazar Patrika (life story gallery)](https://www.anandabazar.com/entertainment/bengali-actor-tapas-paul-death-panoramic-life-story-of-actor-tapas-paul-dgtl-1.1110936)
8. [Why the death of Tapas Paul evoked no heartfelt obituaries, TFIpost](https://tfipost.com/2020/02/why-the-death-of-tapas-paul-a-veteran-actor-of-bengali-cinema-evoked-no-heartfelt-obituaries-from-people/)
9. [Tapas Paul, subaltern's hero, face of 80s' Tollywood, passes away, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tapas-paul-subalterns-hero-face-of-80s-tolly-passes-away/articleshow/74199125.cms)
10. [তাপস পাল: শেষটা ভালো হয়নি নায়কের, Prothom Alo](https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/tollywood/u2nv59tu8z)
11. [Tapas Paul was one of the best of actors of his time: Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/tapas-paul-was-one-of-the-best-of-actors-of-his-time-buddhadeb-dasgupta/articleshow/74190141.cms)
12. [ভালোবাসায়, রাষ্ট্রীয় মর্যাদায় তাপস পালকে শেষ বিদায়, Prothom Alo](https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/tollywood/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B7-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F)
13. [Tapas Paul obituary, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bengali-actor-former-tmc-mp-tapas-paul-dies-at-61/story-2zDTSqweQ7rYaCeTCoxdNM_amp.html)
14. [Tapas Pal dead, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/india/tapas-pal-bengali-actor-and-former-mp-passes-away-6273270/)
15. [Between the reel and the real falls the shadow, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/between-the-reel-and-the-real-falls-the-shadow-the-two-facets-of-actor-tapas-paul-s-life/story-wW7dVF02RwdokeY4pzI2xL_amp.html)
16. [Tapas Paul news archive, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/about/tapas-paul/)
17. [Tapas Paul's death sets off political slugfest in Bengal, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tapas-paul-death-sets-off-political-slugfest-bengal-1648080-2020-02-19)
18. [Actor-Politician Tapas Pal Dies Of Cardiac Arrest At 61, NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/actor-politician-tapas-pal-dies-of-cardiac-arrest-at-61-2181694)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Bengali film actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license