With her beauty and talent Suchitra Sen had done memorable roles in films like ‘Agnipariksha’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Saat Paake Bandha’ Suchitra Sen was one the most successful heroines of Bengali and Hindi cinema between the 1950s and 70s. was born on April 6, 1931 to Karunamoy Dasgupta and Indira Devi, in Pabna district of Bangladesh.
After retirement she turned a recluse to the world and was often compared to Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, who shunned public contact. In 1963, Sen became the first Indian actress to be honoured at an international film festival – best actress award for ‘Saat Paake Bandha’ at Moscow film festival.
Suchitra Sen was so popular with the people that during Durga Puja, idols of Lakshmi and Saraswati were known to have been modelled on her face. Her first film was ‘Shesh Kothai’ in 1952.
She also received a National Award for her performance in Bimal Roy’s 1955 Hindi classic ‘Devdas’, playing the role of ‘Paro’ to Dilip Kumar’s ‘Devdas’. Initially, Sen was more interested in singing than in acting. In 1951, she auditioned as a playback singer, but was instead offered a role by director Sukumar Dasgupta.
She formed a romantic pair with Bengali cinema legend Uttam Kumar. The duo gave a string of memorable hits such as ‘Harano Sur’ (1957), ‘Agnipariksha’ (1954),’Saptapadi’ (1961), ‘Grihadaha’ (1967), ‘Indrani’ (1958), ‘Sagarika’ (1956), ‘Bipasha’ (1962), ‘Kamal Lata’ (1969), ‘Alo Amar Alo’ (1972), ‘Har Mana Har’ (1972) and ’Priyo Bandhabi’ (1975).
Suchitra Sen’s most famous Hindi film after ‘Devdas’ was ‘Aandhi’ by Gulzar. She earned wide acclaim for her role opposite Sanjeev Kumar in the film. This film also landed in controversy due to similarities between her character and Indira Gandhi.
After her 1978 movie ‘Pronoy Pasha’ with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, Suchitra Sen left the limelight and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 it required her to make a public appearance.
She was paired against Uttam Kumar in ‘Sharey Chauttar’ which went on to become a big box office success. This film is still remembered today for launching the magnificent pair of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, which went to become the iconic screen-couple of Bengali cinema for over two decades.
She was a follower of the Ramakrishna Mission order. After retirement, Sen spent her time in meditation and prayer. In 1989, when Bharat Maharaj of the mission passed away, she was seen publicly walking all the way to the crematorium from Belur Math near Kolkata.
Mamta Banerjee used to regularly visit the hospital to inquire about Sen’s condition. In fact, Mamta Banerjee was the first public figure whom the recluse actress had met after 35 years. Veteran actress and the iconic Bengali beauty Suchitra Sen passed away in Kolkata after suffering from a cardiac arrest.
