Tapas Paul

Tapas Paul (29 September 1958 – 18 February 2020) was an Indian actor and politician. One of the most celebrated actors of Bengali cinema, Paul is best known for his on-screen roles opposite Mahua Roy Choudhury and Debashree Roy. He received a Filmfare Award.

Tapas Paul was a Member of Parliament from Krishnanagar having won in the 2014 Indian General Elections on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Paul shot to fame and popularity with his debut film Dadar Kirti (1980), a romantic drama by Tarun Majumdar, and sustained his fame with films like Saheb (1981), Parabat Priya (1984), Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985), Anurager Choyan (1986), Amar Bandhan (1986), Guru Dakshina (1987) to name few. He was awarded the Filmfare Award for his role in Saheb (1981).

He made his Bollywood debut in Hiren Nag's Abodh (1984) opposite Madhuri Dixit. He collaborated with Tarun Majumdar for the second time in his romantic flick Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985) where he was paired with Debashree Roy. The film achieved a success and established his pairing with Roy as the most bankable one of the nineteen eighties. His other major hits with Roy include Arpan (1987), Surer Sathi (1988), Surer Akashe (1988), Nayanmani (1989), Chokher Aloy (1989), Shubha Kamana (1991), Mayabini (1992), Tobu Mone Rekho (1994), Tumi Je Aamar (1994). He collaborated with Buddhadeb Dasgupta in Uttara (2000) and Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (2002). He was arrested by C.B.I for alleged links to the Rose Valley chit fund scam in December 2016, and was given bail after 13 months.