Pratyusha Banerjee Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Pratyusha Banerjee was a well-distinguished Indian television actress who had gained recognition for her important portrayal of Anandi Shivraj Shekhar in Colors TV’s Balika Vadhu (2010-2013). Thereafter, she had been cast in a number of hit series like Hum Hain Na (2014-2015), Sasural Simar Ka (2015), and Adhuri Kahaani Hamari (2016). She had also earned a significant amount of fame through reality and talent shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 (2012), Bigg Boss 7 (2013), and Power Couple (2015). However, behind the beautiful smile of hers, hid something upsetting which eventually led to her death in April 2016, leaving fans and the entertainment industry completely baffled.

Born Name

Pratyusha Banerjee

Nick Name

Piyu, Prats

Age

Pratyusha Banerjee was born on August 10, 1991.

Died

Pratyusha Banerjee died on April 1, 2016, aged 24, at her apartment in Bangur Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India due to suicide by hanging.

Sun Sign

Leo

Born Place

Jamshedpur, Bihar, India (Now In Jharkhand, India)

Nationality

Education

Pratyusha had attended St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

Occupation

Actress

Family

• Father – Shankar Banerjee
• Mother – Soma Banerjee

Manager

None

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 2 in or 157.5 cm

Weight

45 kg or 99 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Pratyusha had dated –

1. Makrand Malhotra – In the past, Pratyusha was dating businessman Makrand Malhotra. The two kept their relationship afar from the limelight, hence leaving much information but in 2013, Pratyusha had lodged a complaint against Makrand for harassing and verbally abusing her over the phone.
2. Rahul Raj Singh (2013-2016) – Pratyusha met actor Rahul Raj Singh at a common friends party in 2013. The two instantly clicked and started dating one another. Later, they moved into an apartment in Bangur Nagar. Everything seemed to have been going fine between the couple, as they had even planned on getting married. However, things started to take a turn for the worst in early January. Later, it was reported that Pratyusha had an abortion done in March as she and Rahul were facing financial issues. Nevertheless, one thing led to another until Pratyusha finally gave up hope and hung herself on the morning of April 1, 2016, while Rahul had gone to get the two of them something to eat after a late night of drinking and partying with a close friend.

Race / Ethnicity

Asian (Indian)

She was of Bengali heritage.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Thick eyebrows
• Plush lips
• High cheekbones
• Almond-shaped eyes

Brand Endorsements

Pratyusha had appeared in commercials for several brands including Prayag Gold.

Religion

Hinduism

Best Known For

• Her important portrayal of Anandi Shivraj Shekhar in Balika Vadhu (2010-2013)
• Starring in several shows other hit shows like Hum Hain Na (2014-2015), Sasural Simar Ka (2015), and Adhuri Kahaani Hamari (2016)
• Competing in various reality and talent shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 (2012), Bigg Boss 7 (2013), and Power Couple (2015)
• Being in the limelight for controversial reasons
• Receiving several awards such as 2 Golden Petal Awards (2011,2012) and a BIG Star Entertainment Award (2012)

First TV Show

Pratyusha made her debut TV show appearance as Priya Jagirdar in Rakt Sambandh in 2010. Also starring in the show were actors like Sriti Jha, Naman Shaw, Gungun Uprari, and Dhruv Bhandari.

Personal Trainer

Pratyusha did not believe in working out and following a diet. She also stated that she ate “anything and everything.” However, she would prefer to have a glass of fresh juice and a banana for breakfast. For lunch, Pratyusha enjoyed eating chapatis, a vegetable of any kind, and sweets.

Pratyusha Banerjee Favorite Things

• Cuisine – Bengali
• Dish – Chicken Butter Masala
• Restaurant – Oh! Calcutta, Hangla’s
• Drink – Rose Sharbat

Source – Telly Chakkar

Controversy

In the past, Pratyusha found herself caught up in a case for fraud after a hotel had pressed charges against her for fraud. It is said that she had a grand party for her birthday which amounted to an astounding 1.5 lakhs. However, when the hotel staff called her to pay her bill, she failed to do so. There had also been rumors at the time of her bankruptcy. Nevertheless, her close friends and family came forth and stated that she “was doing very well for herself.”

In January 2016, Pratyusha filed a molestation complaint against 4 men who she said barged into her home dressed as police officers. She also stated that they only left her home after she had threatened to call her local police station. However, the officer on duty denied the allegations and stated that they went to the apartment in search of Rahul as he had manhandled an auto loan.

Pratyusha Banerjee Facts

1. She was raised in Jamshedpur and in 2010, she shifted to Mumbai to pursue her passion for acting.
2. Pratyusha had quite an impressive start and didn’t have to wait long to get her first job when she was 19, as Priya Jagirdar in Rakt Sambandh in 2010.
3. She landed the lead role in Balika Vadhu replacing actress Avika Gor for the role of Anandi Shivraj Shekhar. She surpassed actresses Nivedita Tiwari and Ketaki Chitale who had also auditioned for the role.
4. Pratyusha left the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 just as soon as she had joined it, claiming, she did not feel comfortable during the rehearsals.
5. In 2014, she hosted the special segment of Savdhaan India’s “Women Against Crime” alongside actress actor Hiten Tejwani and Sushant Singh.
6. She was a big foodie and did not quite believe in maintaining a diet. Also, she was a non-vegetarian and obsessed with chicken dishes.
7. Pratyusha enjoyed eating sweets like Rasgullas and Gulab jamuns and also loved Pani puri.
8. Prayag Gold had chosen her as their brand ambassador in the past.
9. After getting into an emotional turmoil due to two troubled relationships, Pratyusha had come in for depression and stress in the last days of her life. The director of her short film Hum Kuch Keh Na Sake also revealed that she had once vomited blood while on set due to the building tensions. The investigation into her death, also revealed that she had tried to commit suicide 2 other times before.
10. According to reports published by DNA in 2016, Rahul told them about what had happened on the night before and the day Pratyusha hung herself. He stated that he, Pratyusha, and a close friend of theirs partied all night and the latter had left at 8:30 am. After that, Pratyusha who had a drinking problem started boozing again after taking a shower. Later, he told her to stop drinking and left to get some food.
11. A telephonic transcript that was released to the media later, showed Pratyusha blaming Rahul for forcing her into working as a prostitute and for not being there for her when she needed him. She also added, “You are selfish… you are spoiling my name. People are talking about me… my mom and dad are termed as ghatiya. Rahul, it’s over. I am over. Mar gayi mein (I am dead)”. During which, Rahul was heard asking her not to “do anything” and that he would be home in half an hour, upon which Pratyusha said, “Everything will be over in half an hour.”
12. When he returned, the door was locked from the inside, so he began texting her and calling her. Then he rushed down to get a locksmith to have a duplicate key made. In the meantime, he asked his neighbor’s servant who climbed into their balcony and opened the front door from the inside.
13. Upon entering his house, he saw Pratyusha with her dupatta around her neck hanging from the fan. Thereafter, he brought her down and gave her CPR and mouth-to-mouth to revive her but she had already suffocated to death. In an attempt to save her, he took her to Kokilaben hospital. However, there was nothing that the doctors could do.
14. The police got suspicious when the hospital authorities had informed them about her death instead of Rahul.
15. An investigation for a possible suicide note was conducted. However, they did not find anything in her flat apart from a pool of cigarette stubs and bottles of alcohol.
16. The news of Pratyusha’s death brought stars like Sara Khan, Ajaz Khan, Debina Bonnerjee, Gurmeet Choudhary, Rakhi Sawant, and Dolly Bindra to the hospital at once.
17. In 2016, Rahul was booked with charges of abetment of suicide, assault, and intimidation under sections 306, 323 and 506 of the IPC.
18. A lot of Pratyusha’s close friends, relatives, and neighbors were in complete disbelief of her suicide as they told police that she was too strong to do such a thing.
19. Her post-mortem was conducted at Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon West area of Mumbai. The coroner’s reports stated that she had died due to asphyxia. Apart from that, it was also reported that there were several injury marks on the body. Later, her body was flown into Jamshedpur, where her parents had her cremated.
20. The last picture she uploaded to her Instagram was in October 2015. She even captioned it “Last pic before we enter the power couple house… Won’t be uploading pics for a very long time …” She also asked her fans to wish them luck.
21. You can follow Pratyusha on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Featured Image By Pratyusha Banerjee / Instagram