Tollywood actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee was alive after he was rescued from drowning at Talsari sea beach, and succumbed on the way to hospital, as per eyewitnesses.

Banerjee had travelled to Talsari for the shooting of the television serial Bhole Baba Par Karega, which had been underway since Sunday morning. According to sources from the unit, the incident occurred in the late afternoon after shooting had wrapped for the day.

As per eyewitness accounts, the actor entered the sea alone after pack-up. His co-actor Sweta Mishra was present at the spot but remained on the shore.

“Maybe he didn’t know how to swim, or he got stuck somehow. Suddenly, the technicians started shouting, ‘Rahul da is drowning’. When he was rescued, he was still alive,” eyewitness and actor Diganta Bagchi told the media.

Banerjee was pulled out of the water and rushed by car to Digha Sub-Divisional Hospital, located around 10–12km from the beach. Doctors later declared him brought dead at 6.10pm.

However, eyewitnesses and members of the unit maintained that he was breathing and responsive when placed in the vehicle.

Production manager Chandrashekhar Chakraborty, who accompanied the actor to the hospital, told the media, “The shoot had already wrapped up around 5.30pm. I was releasing the artistes one by one. That’s when I received the call. I immediately rushed to the beach”.

“After putting him in the car, I got into the front seat. We reached the hospital waving a red cloth. There was traffic congestion after entering the town, which caused delays. On the way, our technicians kept rubbing Rahul’s chest, hoping to save him. He was gasping heavily,” he added.

A post-mortem on Banerjee will be conducted at Kanthi hospital on Monday. His body has been kept at the Digha morgue.

Rahul’s estranged wife Priyanka rushed to his Bijoygarh residence after receiving the news. She later wrote on social media, “This is an extremely difficult time for us. Please give us some space during this period of grief. We, his close ones, are trying to cope with the situation. Your cooperation at this moment is deeply appreciated”.

Banerjee, 43, was a prominent figure in Bengali cultural space. He began his acting career with Chaka in 2000 and rose to fame with Chirodini Tumi Je Amar. His filmography includes Abar Asbo Phire, Jackpot, Zulfiqar, Biday Byomkesh, Byomkesh Gotro, Megha Dhaka Tara, Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei. He was most recently seen in the web series Thakumar Jhuli.