MUMBAI: Veteran Bengali actress Gita Dey, who worked under seasoned directors like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, passed away in a private hospital on Monday following prolonged illness. She was 79.

Beginning as a child artiste at the age of six, Dey was associated with the Bengali stage and the silver screen for over seven decades. She was chosen by Ray for his film Samapti that was part of the trilogy, Teen Kanya. 

Her performance as the mother of the main protagonist in Ghatak‘s masterpiece Meghey Dhaka Tara is still remembered. She also acted in Ghatak’s ‘Komal Gandhar and Subarnarekha.

With Tapan Sinha she acted in films like Haatey Baajarey, Jotugriha and Ekhonee. Late in her life, she also played character roles in television soaps.

Dey is survived by her two sons and a daughter.