Rahul Arunoday Banerjee^[a] (Bengali: রাহুল অরুণোদয় বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, pronounced [ɾaɦul ˈoɾunod̪ɔe̯ ˈbɔnd̪opad̪ʱːae̯]; 16 October 1983 – 29 March 2026), better known as Rahul Banerjee, was an Indian actor and writer. He primarily worked in Bengali films and television series.^[1] He made his first stage appearance at the age of three in Raj Darshan, a production staged by his father Biswanath Banerjee's theatre group, Bijoygarh Atmaprakash. He later went on to perform in nearly 450 stage productions, working with both his father's troupe and Theatron.

Banerjee was^[2] married to actress Priyanka Sarkar.^[3][4] He was catapulted to stardom for his role opposite her in Chirodini Tumi Je Amar (2008), directed by Raj Chakraborty. The film became a major box-office success and established him as a popular leading actor. He subsequently appeared in films such as Love Circus (2010) and Shono Mon Boli Tomay (2010). He made his television debut with the drama series Tumi Asbe Bole. Over the course of his career, he received several accolades, including the Anandalok Best Actor Award in 2008.

Before coming into films and television Rahul did a number of theatre programmes. After doing it he opted for a career in television and got a breakthrough after appearing in a famous show on Zee Bangla titled Khela in the role of Aditya. After that, he got a film offer which gave him widespread recognition.^{[citation needed]} Beyond acting, Rahul was celebrated for his intellect, which found voice in his widely followed podcast Sohoj Kotha.^[5] He had also acted in the Bengali stage play Je Janlagulor Akash Chilo, which was adapted from stories written by him.^[6][7]

Banerjee was born in Calcutta, West Bengal, India on 16 October 1983, to a family of theatre artists. His father was a director of a theatre troupe named Bijoygor Atmaprakash. Banerjee attended Naktala High School and graduated from Ashutosh College. After having a long relationship with his co-actor Priyanka Sarkar, the couple got married. They had a son, Shohoj Banerjee. The couple separated in 2017 but re-united in 2023.

Banerjee died after falling into the sea while filming for his ongoing television show Bhole Baba Paar Karega in Talsari, on 29 March 2026, at the age of 42, according to local media reports. He was later declared dead upon reaching hospital.^[8][9] Postmortem examination revealed salt water and sand in lungs, indicating antemortem drowning. He was cremated the next day in Keoratola Crematorium, Kolkata.^[10][11]

• Khela (2006–2008) as Aditya Barman, (later replaced by Debanjan Chatterjee) Zee Bangla
• Mohona (2008) as Arka, Zee Bangla
• Tumi Ashbe Bole (2014–2016) as Rahul Debroy, Star Jalsha
• Swapno Udaan (2017) as Roopayan Sen aka Roop, Star Jalsha
• Ardhangini (2018) as Umapati "Uma" Bhattacharya, Star Jalsha
• Aye Khuku Aye (2019–2020) as Rahul,^[24] Sun Bangla
• Desher Maati (2021) as Dr. Rajrup Banerjee aka Raja,^[25] Star Jalsha
• Laalkuthi (2022) as Bikram Dastidar,^[26] Zee Bangla
• Horogouri Pice Hotel (2022–2025) as Prabhakar Ghosh,^[27] Star Jalsha
• Geeta LL.B (2025) as Bishnudev Chatterjee, Star Jalsha
• Bholebaba Paar Karega (2026) as Dr. Ujaan Chatterjee,^[28] Star Jalsha

• Rahul Banerjee at IMDb