CITY-based Marathi film producer Atul Tapkir allegedly committed suicide in a hotel room in Erandwane by consuming poison in the early hours of Sunday. He was 35. In a post on his Facebook page, written sometime before his death, he wrote that he was depressed after incurring losses after producing the movie Dhol Taashe in 2015. He also wrote about the family disputes in the post.
According to Deccan Gymkhana police, Tapkir, a resident of Pimple Saudagar, was staying at Hotel President in Erandwane for the last couple of days. A police officer from Prabhat Road police chowky under Deccan Gymkhana police station said, “The incident came to light after the police control room got a call from the manager of the hotel around 10.45 am that Tapkir was not opening the door of his room. At the same time, a friend of Tapkir had also come to the police chowky because his last known location on the cellphone was showing in this area. Our team and his friend went to the hotel and opened the door. He was found lying on the bed,unresponsive. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced brought dead.”
The officer added, “We suspect he consumed some kind of poison which led to his death. We suspect he had been consuming alcohol in the hours before his death. After the post-mortem, the viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis. Primary findings suggest that he ended his life in the early hours of Sunday. We have come to know that he wrote a Facebook post before his death.”
Another police officer added, “In his Facebook post, he wrote that though the movie gave him recognition, he was depressed because it incurred losses and he was in debt. He has further written that though his father and sister supported him during his difficult time, his wife started harassing him. He has alleged that his wife and her brothers not only harassed him, but also his father and sisters. We will be verifying these allegations and accordingly further action will be taken.”
Co-producer of the movie Dhol Taashe, Raj Anjute, said, “It’s very shocking for me because I have always seen him smiling. He never mentioned that he was going through any kind of mental stress. In fact, after the release of the film when it did not do well at the box office, we spoke about it and I advised him to leave it behind and carry on with life.”
