Highlights
- Capturing the public's imagination for three decades through her ethereal beauty and intense celluloid performance, Suchitra Sen symbolised the golden age of Bengali cinema with memorable films like Agnipariksha, Devdas and Saat Paake Bandha.
- The doe-eyed beauty turned a recluse after bidding adieu to the world of films in the late seventies and was often compared to Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, who shunned public contact.
- No other heroine in Bengal since Kanan Devi caught the public imagination as Sen did. In an era of black and white movies, her intense performances catapulted her to stardom. Such was the popularity of the Sen that during Durga Puja, idols of Lakshmi and Saraswati were known to have been modelled on her face.
- Sen today died at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack.
- Beginning her career with Bengali film Shesh Kothai in 1952, Sen went on to receive a National Award for her performance in Bimal Roy's 1955 Hindi classic Devdas, playing the defiant Paro to Dilip Kumar's Devdas.
- She formed an unbeatable 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).
- Sen acted in 52 Bengali and seven Hindi films. Champakali, with Bharat Bhushan, Sarhhaad and Bommbai Ka Babu with Dev Anand and Mamta were some of her other notable Hindi films.
- However, her most famous Hindi film after Devdas was 1974's Aandhi by Gulzar. She earned wide acclaim for her role opposite Sanjeev Kumar in the film which landed in controversy due to similarities between her character and Indira Gandhi.
- After her 1978 movie Pronoy Pasha with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, Sen quietly left the limelight and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 preferring not to make a public appearance. As per her wishes, her family maintained secrecy even when she was hospitalised. The reason behind Sen's withdrawal from public life remains a mystery.
- A follower of the Ramakrishna Mission order, Sen spent her retired life 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. Her daughter Moon Moon, though a well-known Bengali actress, could never overcome the large shadow that her mother's beauty and acting prowess cast. Sen's grand-daughters Riya and Raima have also featured in some Bollywood flicks.
- 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. She was cast opposite matinee idol Uttam Kumar in 30 films from 1953 to 1975. The gossip mills linked Sen to her leading co-stars, Uttam Kumar in particular.
- She earned both national and international acclaim for her performances as the quintessential romantic heroine be it in the role of 'Vishnupriya' in the fifties, 'Rina Brown' in the sixties or 'Bijaya' in the seventies.
- The actress was born as Rama Dasgupta at Pabna (Bangladesh) in 1931 to Karunamoy and Indira Dasgupta. Suchitra married Dibanath Sen from an aristocratic family in 1947 before launching a successful acting career. There were rumours that the marriage suffered due to her successful acting career.
Capturing the public's imagination for three decades through her ethereal beauty and intense celluloid performance, Suchitra Sen symbolised the golden age of Bengali cinema with memorable films like
Agnipariksha, Devdas and
Saat Paake Bandha.
The doe-eyed beauty turned a recluse after bidding adieu to the world of films in the late seventies and was often compared to Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, who shunned public contact.
No other heroine in Bengal since Kanan Devi caught the public imagination as Sen did. In an era of black and white movies, her intense performances catapulted her to stardom. Such was the popularity of the Sen that during Durga Puja, idols of Lakshmi and Saraswati were known to have been modelled on her face.
Sen today died at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack.
Beginning her career with Bengali film
Shesh Kothai in 1952, Sen went on to receive a National Award for her performance in Bimal Roy's 1955 Hindi classic
Devdas, playing the defiant
Paro to Dilip Kumar's
Devdas.
She formed an unbeatable 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).
Sen acted in 52 Bengali and seven Hindi films.
Champakali, with Bharat Bhushan,
Sarhhaad and
Bommbai Ka Babu with Dev Anand and
Mamta were some of her other notable Hindi films.
However, her most famous Hindi film after
Devdas was 1974's
Aandhi by Gulzar. She earned wide acclaim for her role opposite Sanjeev Kumar in the film which landed in controversy due to similarities between her character and Indira Gandhi.
After her 1978 movie
Pronoy Pasha with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, Sen quietly left the limelight and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 preferring not to make a public appearance. As per her wishes, her family maintained secrecy even when she was hospitalised. The reason behind Sen's withdrawal from public life remains a mystery.
A follower of the Ramakrishna Mission order, Sen spent her retired life 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. Her daughter Moon Moon, though a well-known Bengali actress, could never overcome the large shadow that her mother's beauty and acting prowess cast. Sen's grand-daughters Riya and Raima have also featured in some Bollywood flicks.
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. She was cast opposite matinee idol Uttam Kumar in 30 films from 1953 to 1975. The gossip mills linked Sen to her leading co-stars, Uttam Kumar in particular.
She earned both national and international acclaim for her performances as the quintessential romantic heroine be it in the role of 'Vishnupriya' in the fifties, 'Rina Brown' in the sixties or 'Bijaya' in the seventies.
The actress was born as Rama Dasgupta at Pabna (Bangladesh) in 1931 to Karunamoy and Indira Dasgupta. Suchitra married Dibanath Sen from an aristocratic family in 1947 before launching a successful acting career. There were rumours that the marriage suffered due to her successful acting career.