Kolkata: Film-maker and screenwriter Utsav Mukherjee has been reported missing since Thursday after he left his south Kolkata home for a bank errand in Nimta. The 46-year-old director, known for collaborating with director Anik Datta on films, such as ‘Bhobishyoter Bhoot’, ‘Barunbabur Bondhu’, ‘Aparajito’ and ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’, left home around 11.30 am, according to his wife, writer Moupiya Banerjee. Banerjee said her husband had been struggling with depression, being deeply affected by prolonged trolling and cyberbullying. She said they last spoke at 2.22 pm on Thursday while he was at the bank, after which his phone was switched off.She said he carried a basic phone and had left behind his smartphone as she needed access to an OTP. “He had asked me to update his profile and cover photos before leaving. We would often change social media photos as a strategy amid online harassment,” Banerjee said. “The cyberbullying included abusive comments and a fake domain, created to impersonate him. The harassment had taken a serious toll on his mental health and public image.” Cops at the Anandapur Police Station on Thursday afternoon said Mukherjee went to a bank in Nimta. Confirming that his last conversation with his wife was at 2.22pm, an officer said, “The phone was switched off after 3.35 pm. His last destination was somewhere near Ultadanga station.” The director’s wife suspected he might have taken a train home to avoid traffic. Police have alerted GRP and RPF and intimated nearby police stations. Police said Banerjee visited them twice, once for intimation and then, to lodge a missing complaint. No ransom call had yet been received, said an officer. If Mukherjee is not found by Friday night, a probe will start. The anti-rowdy section and missing person squad of the detective department were likely to join the probe on Saturday, said a Lalbazar officer.Police, too, confirmed Banerjee had informed them about the issues related to cybercrime. “After their wedding, Banerjee had consulted a lawyer and alerted police,” said an officer. Mukherjee, who holds a master’s degree in film studies from Jadavpur University, He also assisted Rangan Chakraborty on non-fiction projects. Mukherjee made his directorial debut with ‘Half Serious’ in 2012, followed by ‘Bheetu’. His other directing credits include the Zee5 original, ‘Bhalobashar Shohor: Shorshe Ilish’ and the web series, ‘Cabaret’. Director Anik Datta said he was concerned about Mukherjee’s disappearance. “I am not keeping well. It has been a while since we met. He was a co-writer for ‘Bhobisyoter Bhoot’ and an associate director in ‘Aparajito’. He was the co-screenplay and co-dialogue writer of ‘Joto Kando Kolkatatei’. I want to know what happened to him,” Datta said.Costume designer Suchismita Dasgupta, who has worked with Mukherjee since his directorial debut, said, “I just want to know that he is safe. I have been working with him since his first film. He is a very bright writer and director and has a bright future. He is very witty. Anik-da’s films have a lot of alliterations, a lot of which is Utsav’s.”
