The camera loved her

During a career spanning 25 years, Suchitra Sen ushered in the golden era of Bengali cinema, along with matinee icon Uttam Kumar. 

 

She also gave memorable performances in a number of classic Hindi films like Bimal Roy’s Devdas (1955), Musafir (1957), Bombai Ka Babu (1960) and Gulzar’s Aandhi (1975). 

 

On the 85th birth anniversary of the veteran actress, the Quint offers reports, Iss Mod Se Jaate Hain and Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar from the Suchitra Sen-Sanjeev Kumar starrer Aandhi have come to define the classic era of Hindi film music.

 

Suchitra Sen’s surpassing beauty and acting prowess attracted filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Raj Kapoor. Ray wanted Sen to do his film Devi Chaudhurani, but had a condition that she could not shoot for other directors while she was working with him. This was simply unacceptable to Suchitra Sen and Ray dropped the film altogether after her refusal.

 

It was not just about beauty, though Suchitra Sen is one of the most beautiful actresses I have worked with. It was her personality, which was strong and mysterious. The camera loved her. Dev Anand said once.

 

Sen is the only celebrity to have ever refused the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005. When she was informed that the honor had to be accepted in person, she declined it as she did not want to come out of seclusion.

 

Had she wanted, Suchitra Sen would have had a long career in Bollywood too. But Bollywood didn’t have much to offer to her. She was the reigning queen of Bengali cinema and roles were written for her there.

 

It’s a well known fact that Bollywood courted her repeatedly in her career. The story goes that Raj Kapoor went to Sen’s home in Kolkata to get her to act in a film for him. It is said that the filmi style in which Kapoor approached her and went down on one knee with a bouquet in his hand irked her.

 

Despite the Mahanayika’s immense fan following, she was known to be a recluse and rarely made a public appearance after 1979. Suchitra Sen was awarded the West Bengal government’s highest honor Banga Bibhushan for her contribution towards Bengali cinema in 2012.

 

Suchitra Sen’s granddaughter, actress Riya Sen shared a beautiful memory of her ‘nani’ on Twitter, marking her birth anniversary.