Suchitra Sen

Suchitra Sen (Bengali pronunciation: [ʃuːtʃiːraː ʃeːn] listen ) (born as Roma Dasgupta) (listen ; 6 April 1931 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian film actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema.[1]

Suchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen as Paro in Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955)
Born
Roma Dasgupta

(1931-04-06)6 April 1931
Pabna, Bengal Presidency, British India
(now in Sirajganj, Bangladesh)
Died17 January 2014(2014-01-17) (aged 82)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
NationalityIndian
OccupationActress
Years active1952–1979
Works
Filmography
Spouse(s)
Dibanath Sen
​
​
(m. 1947; died 1970)​
ChildrenMoon Moon Sen
AwardsPadma Shri
Banga Bibhushan
Signature

Sen was the second Indian actress to receive an award at an international film festival when, at the 1963 Moscow International Film Festival, she won the Silver Prize for Best Actress for Saat Pake Bandha.[2][3] In 1972, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.[4] From 1979 on, she retreated from public life and shunned all forms of public contact; for this she is often compared to Greta Garbo.[5][6] In 2005, she refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest cinematic award in India, to stay out of the public eye.[7] In 2012, she was conferred the West Bengal Government's highest honour: Banga Bibhushan.[8] Her first official release was Sukumar Dasgupta's Saat Number Kayedi (1953).[9] She was catapulted to stardom after she was cast as Vishnupriya by Devaki Kumar Bose in his Bhagaban Shree Krishna Chaitanya (1953).[10]

Personal life and education
Sen in Devdas.

Rama Dasgupto aka Suchitra Sen was born on 6 April 1931, in a Bangali family of Bhanga Bari village of Belkuchi Upazila, now in Sirajgonj District, Greater Pabna.[11][12] Her father, the late Korunamoy Dasgupto was a headmaster in a local school in Pabna. Her mother, the late Indira Devi was a homemaker. She was their fifth child and second daughter. Sen is a granddaughter of the poet Rajonikant Sen.[13] She received her formal education in Pabna Government Girls High School. The violence of Partition in 1947, brought her family to West Bengal, which was comparably a safe zone for Hindus.[14] where she married Dibanath Sen, son of wealthy industrialist Adinath Sen, in 1947, at the age of 15 years.[15] and had one daughter, Moon Moon Sen, who is a former actress. Her father-in-law, Adinath Sen, was supportive of her acting career in films after her marriage.[16] Her industrialist husband invested greatly in her career and supported her.[17]

Sen had made a successful entry into Bengali films in 1952, and then a less successful transition into the Hindi movie industry. According to persistent but unconfirmed reports in the Bengali press, her marriage was strained by her success in the film industry.[18]

Career

Suchitra Sen made her debut in films with Shesh Kothaay in 1952, but it was never released.[19] The following year saw her act opposite Uttam Kumar in Sharey Chuattor, a film by Nirmal Dey. It was a box-office hit and is remembered for launching Uttam-Suchitra as a leading pair. They went on to become the icons for Bengali dramas for more than 20 years, becoming almost a genre unto themselves.[20] She has acted in 30 of her 60 films with Uttam Kumar. She received a Best Actress Award nomination for the film Devdas (1955), which was her first Hindi movie. Her Bengali melodramas and romances, especially with Uttam Kumar, made her the most famous Bengali actress ever.[21]

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen in Bangla Movie Harano Sur

Her films ran through the 1960s and '70s. Her husband died in 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Suchitra went on to act in films such as in the Hindi film Aandhi (1974). Aandhi was inspired by India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[22] Sen received a Filmfare Award nomination as Best Actress, while Sanjeev Kumar, who played the role of her husband, won the Filmfare as Best Actor.[23]

One of her best known performances was in Deep Jwele Jaai (1959). She played in a character named Radha Mitra, a hospital nurse employed by a progressive psychiatrist, Pahadi Sanyal, who is expected to develop a personal relationship with male patients as part of their therapy. Sanyal diagnoses the hero, Basanta Choudhury, as having an unresolved Oedipal dilemma. He orders Radha to play the role though she is hesitant as in a similar case she had fallen in love with the patient. She finally agrees and bears up to Choudhury's violence, impersonates his mother, sings his poetic compositions and in the process falls in love again. In the end, even as she brings about his cure, she suffers a nervous breakdown. The film is noted for its partly lit close-ups of Sen, which set the tone of the film.[24] Asit Sen remade the film in Hindi as Khamoshi (1969), with Waheeda Rehman in the Suchitra Sen role.[25]

Suchitra Sen's other landmark film with Asit Sen was Uttar Falguni (1963). She plays the dual role of a courtesan, Pannabai, and her daughter Suparna, a lawyer. Critics note that she brought a great deal of poise, grace and dignity to the role of a fallen woman determined to see her daughter grow up in a good, clean environment.[26][27][28]

Suchitra Sen's international success came in 1963, when she won the best actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival for the movie Saat Paake Bandha, becoming the first Indian actress to receive an international film award.[29]

A film critic summed up Suchitra Sen's career and continuing legacy as "one half of one of Indian cinema's most popular and abiding screen pairs, Suchitra Sen redefined stardom in a way that few actors have done, combining understated sensuality, feminine charm and emotive force and a no-nonsense gravitas to carve out a persona that has never been matched, let alone surpassed in Indian cinema"[30]

In retirement
Smritituku Thak a tribute to Sen at the Kolkata Book Fair in 2014. 29 Jan 2014.

Suchitra Sen refused Satyajit Ray's offer due to a scheduling problem. As a result, Ray never made the film Devi Chaudhurani, based on the novel written by Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya. She also refused Raj Kapoor's offer for a film under the RK banner.[31]

Sen continued to act after her husband's death in 1970, but called it a day when Pronoy Pasha flopped,[32] and retired from the screen in 1978 after a career of over 25 years to a life of quiet seclusion. She was to do a film project; Nati Binodini, also starring Rajesh Khanna,[33] but the film was shelved mid-way after shooting when she decided to quit acting.

She assiduously avoided the public gaze after her retirement and devoted her time to the Ramakrishna Mission.[11]

Death
Suchitra Sen remembrance at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata. 19 Jan 2014.

Suchitra Sen was admitted to the hospital on 24 December 2013 and was diagnosed with a lung infection. She was reported to have been recovering well in the first week of January.[34] She died at 8.25 am on 17 January 2014, due to a heart attack. She was 82 years old.[35][36]

Suchitra Sen's death was condoled by many leaders, including the President of India Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.[37] A gun salute was given before her cremation, upon the orders of Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal.[38]

Respecting her fierce desire for complete privacy, her last rites were performed at Kolkata's Kaioratola crematorium, barely five and half hours after she died, with her coffin reaching the crematorium in a flower-decked hearse with dark-tinted windows. Despite being Bengal's greatest star, referred to as "Mahanayika", she had consciously chosen to step into oblivion and she remained an enigma till her last, although thousands of fans had converged at the crematorium to catch one last glimpse of their idol. Her entire medical treatment had also been done in seclusion and secrecy.[39]

Filmography

From 1953 to 1978, both in Bengali and Hindi, Suchitra Sen acted in 61 films.

No Year Movie Release date Role Director Hero Notes
1 1952 Shesh Kothaay NA NA Bireswar Basu (??) NA Never released. However, after 22 years in January 1974 this movie was finally released in different name as " Shrabana Shandhya ", directed by may be Bireswar Basu (??).
21953Saat Number Kayedi7 Feb 1953ArunaSukumar DasguptaSamar RoyThis was her first officially released film.
31953Sharey Chuattor20 Feb 1953RomolaNirmal DeyUttam KumarFirst hit of "Uttam-Suchitra's".
41953Bhagaban Srikrishna Chaitanya11 Dec 1953BishnupriyaDebaki BoseBasanta ChaudhuryFirst hit of legendary "Basanta-Suchitra" pair. And it was one of the first Suchitra Sen's Hindu Vaishnab Philosophy based movies. She acted the role of "Vishnu Priya', the wife of Sri Cahaitanya Mahaprobhu
51953Kajori10 April 1953Niren LahiriNo major hero
61954Atom Bomb1 Jan 1954Taru MukherjeeRobin MajumdarShe appeared as an extra in this film. It was shot in 1951 but released in 1954. Sabitri Chatterjee was the actual heroine of this small film
71954Ora Thake Odhare5 Feb 1954NiluSukumar DasguptaUttam Kumar
81954Dhuli3 Jun 1954MinatiPinaki MukherjeePrasanta Kumar
91954Maraner Parey25 Jun 1954TanimaSatish DasguptaUttam Kumar
101954Sadanander Mela16 Jul 1954SheelaSukumar DasguptaUttam Kumar
111954Annapurnar Mandir6 Aug 1954SatiNaresh MitraUttam KumarMusic Director's name is unavailable and unfortunately was NOT even mentioned on the Title-Card of this movie
121954Agnipariksha3 Sep 1954TaposhiAgradootUttam KumarSuchitra-Uttam starring first Box Office Superhit Movie. That was the beginning of their Bengali film iconic image of "Sonar-Juti"
131954Grihaprabesh12 Nov 1954Ajoy KarUttam Kumar
141954Balaygras17 Dec 1954Manimala
151955Sanjher Pradip28 Jan 1955RajuSudhanshu MukherjeeUttam Kumar
161955DevdasParvati (Paro)Bimal RoyDilip KumarHer First Hindi language film Based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel "Devdas"
171955Snaajhghar11 Mar 1955
181955Shapmochan27 May 1955MadhuriShudhir MukherjeeUttam KumarSuchitra-Uttam starring Second Box Office Superhit Movie based on Phalguni Mukhopadhyay's novel " Sandhya Raag".
191955Mejo Bou30 Sep 1955
201955Bhalobasa6 Oct 1955Basanta Chaudhury
211955Sabar Uparey1 Dec 1955RitaAgradootUttam KumarBased on Scottish Writer A. J. Cronin's 1950 novel, "Beyond This Place". From this novel Bengali Movie "Sabar Uparey" was made in 1955. Then in 1958 Dev Anand made the same story in Hindi name "Kala Pani" starring Dev Anand and Madhubala and directed by Raj Khoshla. However, the English film with the same title of the book was released in 1959 starring Van Johnson, Vera Mills and Emlyn Williams and directed by Jack Cardiff
221956Sagarika1 Feb 1956SagarikaAgradootUttam Kumar
231956Subharaatri30 Mar 1956Shanti/SudhaSushil MajumdarBasanta Chaudhury
241956Ekti Raat11 May 1956SantanaChitta BoseUttam Kumar
251956Trijama28 June 1956SwarupaAgradootUttam Kumar
261956Shilpi30 Nov 1956AnjanaAgragamiUttam Kumar
271956Amar Bou14 Dec 1956Bikash Roy
281957Harano Sur6 Sep 1957Dr. Roma BanerjeeAjoy KarUttam KumarBased on James Hilton's immortal Novel "Random Harvest" a 1942 Hollywood hit movie starring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson
291957Chandranath15 Nov 1957SarajuKartik ChattopadhyayUttam KumarBased on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel "Chandranath". It is also the first Bengali movie ever released in Calcutta Metro Cinema.
301957Pathe Holo Deri5 Dec 1957Mallika BanerjeeAgradootUttam KumarA navel by then novelist Ms. Prativa Basu.
311957Jeeban Trishna25 Dec 1957ShakuntalaAshit SenUttam Kumar
321957MusafirShakuntala VermaHrishikesh MukherjeeShekhar KumarHindi language
331957ChampakaliRajoNandlal JaswantlalBharat BhushanHindi language
341958Rajlakshmi O Srikanta28 Feb 1958RajlakshmiHaridas BhattacharyaUttam KumarBased on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel "Rajlakshmi O Shrikanta"
351958Suryatoran21 Nov 1958Anita ChatterjeeAgradootUttam KumarBased on the 1949 Warner Brothers film "The Fountain Head" written by then Russian-American writer Ayn Rand. Starring Garry Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Messy, Kent Smith, the film was directed by Mr. King Vidor. In the Bengali film "Suryatoran", Suchitra Sen did the role of "Dominique" the main female character which was portrayed by Ms. Patricia Neal in "The Fountainhead".
361958Indrani10 Oct 1958IndraniNiren LahiriUttam Kumar
371959Deep Jwele Jaai1 May 1959Radha MitraAshit SenBasanta ChaudhuryBlock-buster movie.
381959Chaowa Paowa27 Feb 1959ManjuYatrikUttam KumarThe Story was taken from Samual Hopkins Adams's one of the short stories " Night Bus" publishes in 1933. Director Frank Capra made it later a 1934 Oscar-winning block-buster Hollywood movie "It Happened One Night", starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
391960Hospital16 Sep 1960Dr. Sarbari RoyShushil MajumdarAshok Kumar
401960Smriti Tuku Thak23 Sep 1960Shobha/UtpalaYatrikAshit Baran / Bikash RoyShe first time acted in Double Role in her career
411960Bombai Ka BabooMayaRaj KhoslaDev AnandHindi language
421960SarhadShankar MukherjeeDev AnandHindi language
431961Saptapadi20 Oct 1961Rina BrownAjoy KarUttam Kumar
441962Bipasha26 Jan 1962BipashaAgradootUttam KumarThis was the first film where Suchitra Sen charged Rs. one lakh for doing her role., and this was the first time any Bengali actor (male or Female) received Rs. One Lakh for doing any film acting role. It was a milestone for Bengali movie history.
451963Saat Pake Bandha22 Mar 1963ArchanaAjay KarSoumitra Chatterjee
461963Uttar Falguni11 Oct 1963Debjani / Pannabai / SuparnaAshit SenDilip Mukherjee, Bikash RoyBased on well known Bengali Writer Dr. Nihar Ranjan Gupta's Novel "Uttar Falguni".
471964Sandhya Deeper Sikha2 Oct 1964Jayanti BannerjeeHaridas BhattacharyaDilip Mukherjee, Bikash RoyIt was based on Bengali novelist Tarun K. Bhaduri's book Sandhya Deeper Shikha. The movie was also produced by Dilip Mukherjee.
481966MamtaDevyani / Pannabai / SuparnaAsit SenDharmendra, Ashok KumarHindi version of Bengali film "Uttar Phalguni"
491967Grihadaha5 May 1967AchalaSubodh MitraUttam KumarBased on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel "Grihadaha"
501969Kamallata2 Oct 1969KamallataHaridas BhattacharyaUttam KumarBased on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel "Kamallata"
511970Megh Kalo4 Sep 1970Dr. Nirmalya RoyShushil MukherjeeBasanta Chaudhury
521971Nabaraag4 Feb 1971Bijoy BoseUttam Kumar
531971Fariyad5 Nov 1971Chapa/RatanmalaBijoy BasuUtpal Dutta
541972Alo Amaar Alo17 Mar 1972AtashiUttam Kumar
551972Har Mana Har19 Dec 1972NeeraUttam Kumar
561974Devi Chaudhurani6 Sep 1974PrafullamukhiDinen GuptaBasanta Chaudhury and Ranjit Mallik
571974Srabana Sandhya25 Jan 1974Bireswar Basu (??)However, " Shrabana Shandhya's " original name was " Shesy Kothaay " it was half done in 1952 and was never released at that time, after 22 years later it came out and released in Jan 1974, may be it was directed by Bireswar Basu (??), who was the original Director of " Shesy Kothaay " film in 1952 .
581975Priyo Bandhabi3 Oct 1975Uttam Kumar
591975Aandhi13 Feb 1975Aarti DeviGulzarSanjeev KumarHindi language
601976Datta30 Jul 1976DattaAjoy KarSoumitra ChatterjeeBased on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Datta
611978Pranay Pasha9 June 1978TaposhiMangal ChakrabortySoumitra ChatterjeeThis was her last movie released

Awards

Sen received 10 awards during her lifetime. In 1963, she became the first Indian actress to receive an international award.

References
  1. Sharma, Vijay Kaushik, Bela Rani (1998). Women's rights and world development. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. p. 368. ISBN 8176250155.
  2. "Suchitra Sen, Bengal's sweetheart". NDTV. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  3. "3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. 1972: 130: Smt Suchitra Sen
  5. Bannerjee, Monideepa (17 January 2014). "Why Suchitra Sen became a recluse and other stories". NDTV. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  6. "India's Greta Garbo' Suchitra Sen dies". 17 January 2013. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  7. "Suchitra Sen awarded Banga-Bibhusan". Zee News India. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  8. Das, Mohua (20 May 2012). "The perils of a packed prize podium Ravi Shankar declines award". Telegraph, Kolkata. Calcutta, India. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  9. Dasgupta, Sukumar. "Saat Number Kayedi". Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. "Bhagwan Shri Krishna Chaitanya (1953) - Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  11. Deb, Alok Kumar. "APRIL BORN a few PERSONALITIES". tripurainfo.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  12. "Garbo meets Sen Two women bound by beauty and mystery". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  13. "প্রখ্যাত ব্যক্তিত্ব". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  14. Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay (7 February 2014). "Suchitra Sen : Reclusive legend". Frontline. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  15. Chakraborty, Ajanta (18 June 2011). "Actress Suchitra Sen's secrets out!". TNN (Times of India).
  16. Deepanjana Pal. "RIP Suchitra Sen. It is the end of a fairytale". Firstpost. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  17. "Bengali cinema's golden queen Suchitra Sen no more : Movies, News". India Today. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  18. Pal, Deepanjana (17 January 2014). "RIP Suchitra Sen. It is the end of a fairytale". Firstpost. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  19. Gulazāra; Govind Nihalani; Saibal Chatterjee, eds. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema. New Delhi: Encyclopædia Britannica. pp. PT647. ISBN 8179910660.
  20. Nag, Amitava (17 January 2014). "Uttam Kumar and 'Mrs Sen': The magical, hypnotic Uttam-Suchitra years". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  21. Dasgupta, Piyashree (17 January 2014). "Why Suchitra Sen is a part of every Bengali's favourite memories". Firstpost. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  22. "The Best Films of Suchitra Sen". Rediff. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  23. Gupta, Subhra (17 January 2014). "Suchitra Sen: A superstar in Bengal, an accidental tourist in Mumbai". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  24. Verma, Sukanya (2 December 2013). "Waheeda Rehman's haunting melancholy in Khamoshi". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  25. "Waheeda Rehman's haunting melancholy in Khamoshi". Rediff. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  26. Ray, Gitanjali (17 January 2014). "Suchitra Sen, Bengal's sweetheart". NDTV. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  27. "Bengali cinema's golden queen Suchitra Sen no more". India Today. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  28. Jamil, Maqsud (17 January 2014). "Endearments of boundless charm". Daily Star. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  29. Sur, Prateek (17 January 2014). "10 less known facts about Suchitra Sen, the first Paro of Bollywood". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  30. Chatterjee, Saibal (17 January 2014). "Suchitra Sen: Iconic Indian Bengali actress dies". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  31. "Suchitra said 'no' to Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  32. "Suchitra Sen: The quintessential enigma despite 59 films". The Times of India. Indo-Asian News Service. 6 April 1931. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  33. "Uttam wanted to meet Suchitra Sen a week before his death". The Times of India. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  34. "Veteran actor Suchitra Sen's health improves". The Hindu. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  35. "Veteran actress Suchitra Sen dies in Kolkata hospital after massive heart attack". The Financial Express. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  36. "Suchitra Sen suffers massive heart attack, passes away – Entertainment – DNA". Daily News and Analysis. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  37. "Indian Leaders Condole the Sad Demise of Suchitra Sen". Biharprabha News. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  38. "Suchitra Sen: Iconic Indian Bengali actress dies". BBC News. BBC. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  39. "Rahe na rahe hum...Legendary Actress Suchitra Sen Bids Adieu". Learning and Creativity. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
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