Suchitra Sen was one of the most iconic actresses of Bengali and Hindi cinema. Widely known as the “Mahanayika”, she became a legendary figure in Bengali cinema, particularly through her celebrated screen partnership with Uttam Kumar. Their films together, including Saptapadi, Harano Sur, Sagarika and Chaowa Pawa, became classics.
She also achieved national recognition through Hindi films such as Devdas (1955), Bambai Ka Babu (1960), Mamata (1966) and Aandhi (1975).
Suchitra Sen was born Roma Dasgupta on 6 April 1931 in Pabna, Bengal Presidency, British India, in an area that is now part of Bangladesh. She later became one of the defining stars of Bengali cinema.
She began her film career in the early 1950s. Her first film, Shesh Kothay (1952), was unreleased. Her first officially released film was Saat Number Kayedi (1953). The same year, she appeared opposite Uttam Kumar in Sharey Chuattor, which became a major success and helped establish the legendary Uttam-Suchitra pairing.
Over the following two decades, Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar appeared together in numerous films and became one of the most celebrated screen couples in Indian cinema. Their collaborations included Saptapadi, Harano Sur, Sagarika, Chaowa Pawa and many other Bengali classics.
Suchitra also established herself in Hindi cinema. Her notable Hindi films included Devdas (1955) opposite Dilip Kumar, Bambai Ka Babu (1960) opposite Dev Anand, Mamata (1966) and Aandhi (1975) opposite Sanjeev Kumar.
One of the greatest achievements of her career came in 1963, when she won the Silver Prize for Best Actress at the Moscow International Film Festival for Saat Pake Bandha. She became the first Indian actress to receive an award at an international film festival.
Suchitra Sen was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1972. She received the Banga Bibhushan, West Bengal's highest civilian honour, in 2012.
Her final film was Pranoy Pasha (1978). After retiring from cinema, she deliberately withdrew from public life and maintained an extremely private existence. Her decision to remain away from the public eye led to comparisons with Hollywood star Greta Garbo.
Suchitra Sen died on 17 January 2014 in Kolkata, West Bengal, at the age of 82. IMDb records the cause of death as cardiac arrest.