{"id":1060,"date":"2015-04-06T05:34:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T05:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2021-01-17T22:20:53","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T16:50:53","slug":"rahe-na-rahe-humlegendary-actress-suchitra-sen-bids-adieu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/rahe-na-rahe-humlegendary-actress-suchitra-sen-bids-adieu\/","title":{"rendered":"Rahe Na Rahe Hum: ‘Mahanayika’ Suchitra Sen’s Aura Lingers On…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Suchitra

Suchitra Sen, the enigma, the star, the ethereal beauty, the style icon, an actress par excellence, has been the undisputed Queen of Hearts for Bengali cine fans across generations. (Pic courtesy: Internet)<\/p><\/div>\n

Rahe na rahe hum, meheka karenge,<\/em>
\nBan ke kalee, ban ke sabaa, baag-e-wafaa mein\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This evergreen number from Suchitra Sen’s classic film Mamta<\/em> aptly captures the enduring magic of this legendary actress… such flowers keep spreading their fragrance even when they have dropped off the stem. Her cult classic Bengali films continue to enjoy repeat runs on Bengali TV channels. Four of her seven\u00a0Hindi films are considered milestones (she is one actress who had the shortest of forays in the national mainstream and yet left an indelible mark). Suchitra Sen lives… in the hearts of thousands of cine fans.<\/p>\n

Yet, despite being Bengal’s greatest star, referred to as “Mahanayika” (the star of stars), Suchitra Sen\u00a0had consciously chosen to step into oblivion at a time when she was still enjoying lead roles and she remained an enigma till her last.<\/p>\n

She had been living the life of a recluse for 36 years, immersing herself deeply into spiritualism. She built her career on her own terms, always referred to as a respectful\u00a0 “Madame” or “Mrs Sen” and then she chose a life away from the public and the limelight, fiercely protecting her privacy with absolutely no pictures or quotes of her appearing in the media.\u00a0She\u00a0came, she conquered and then she quietly walked away…<\/p>\n

Suchitra Sen: The Legend<\/h3>\n

Suchitra Sen, the enigma, the star, the ethereal beauty, the style icon, an actress par excellence, has been the undisputed Queen of Hearts for Bengali cine fans across generations.\u00a0Born in 1931 in Pabna, Bangladesh, Suchitra Sen stepped into the world of movies in 1951, four years after her marriage to Dibanath Sen.<\/p>\n

\"Suchitra<\/a>

Suchitra Sen’s beauty and elegance inspired many a painter who drew her portraits
Pic: SMM Ausaja<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Uttam

In many ways, Uttam and Suchitra represented what young lovers sought from their love lives, but could not attain.<\/p><\/div>\n

Her pairing with Bengal\u2019s King of Hearts Uttam Kumar created classic romantic hits (Agnipariksha,\u00a0Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Pathey Holo Deri, Kamal Lata, Indrani, Sabar Upore, Suryatoran<\/em>, Shaare Chuattor, Sadanander Mela, Jiban Trishna, Ekti Raat, Chaawa Paawa, Shapmochan, Bipasha, Priyo Bandhobi, Grihaprabesh, Naborag, Trijama, Rajlakshmi Srikanto, Har Mana Har, Alo Amar Alo, Ora Thakey Odhare, Sagarika,\u00a0<\/em>and others) that have enjoyed ageless popularity and are watched, loved and admired even to this day.<\/p>\n

The sky rocketing popularity of this romantic pair created a benchmark that remains unchallenged to this day. No other romantic pair in Bengali cinema in the subsequent decades have been able to match up to the magic created by Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar.<\/p>\n

A classical Indian beauty with incredibly photogenic face, redoubtable screen persona, an enchanting pearly white smile, impressive dignity and amazing acting talents, Suchitra Sen was a unique combination of looks and abilities that helped leading film directors weave stories that featured her as the central character, a notable departure in an industry that has traditionally banked on male dominated storylines.<\/p>\n

Later in her career, when Suchitra Sen made a conscious effort to do films that were different from the romantic hits, to establish herself as an actress in her own right, she came up with award winning performances in roles that exploited her histrionic skills in all possible challenges. Saat Paake Bandha<\/em>, Uttor Phalguni<\/em> (later remade in Hindi as Mamta), Dweep Jele Jai, Dutta<\/em>\u2026 each a classic on celluloid. She\u00a0was the second Indian actress to be awarded in an international film festival (Best Actress award for Saat Paake Bandh<\/em>a<\/em>\u00a0in the 1963 Moscow film festival).<\/p>\n

\"The

The millionaire Rajnath (Uttam Kumar) trying to woo the fiercely self respecting artist Shakuntala (Suchitra Sen) in Asit Sen’s Jiban Trishna (1957)<\/p><\/div>\n

Says Peeyush Sharma<\/a><\/span>, the Consulting Editor of Silhouette Magazine\u00a0who was also the founder secretary of Vintage Hindi film music Lovers Association in Bangalore in mid 80s, “I firmly believe that no other actress has touched the heights that Suchitra has in Indian cinema. Her use of her expressive face to emote and react and her mesmerizing eyes were unique. I remember Waheeda Rehman<\/a> telling me that she knew she had a huge challenge when she accepted Khamoshi<\/em> and at one point she asked director Asit Sen not to show the Bengali original (Dweep Jele Jai<\/a>)<\/em>, or she would not be able to deliver what ever she was doing. I hold Waheeda ji on top of my list of outstanding actresses, yet Suchitra Sen remained unparalleled. Similarly in Kora Kagaz<\/em>, there was no comparison.”<\/p>\n

Gulzar\u2019s Aandhi,<\/em> Asit Sen\u2019s Mamta<\/em> and Bimal Roy\u2019s Devdas<\/em> are three unforgettable Hindi films Suchitra Sen did in her illustrious career (out of a total tally of just 7 Hindi films).\u00a0Each of these three films was a path-breaker for its storyline, acting performances and direction.<\/p>\n

We have loved her films, admired her awe-inspiring charisma and wondered how she has been able to wow cine buffs across generations till today. It does not matter to those who love her cinema that her films were in black and white, mostly shot within the studio… What we keep watching over and over again is those bottom angle shots that captured her ethereal beauty in part-light-part-darkness, those tear-welled eyes that wouldn’t shed their tears but made the viewers cry and that amazing spontaneity of performance.<\/p>\n

Suchitra Sen left an indelible mark<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Uttam

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen- Bengali Cinema\u2019s First Couple
Buy Book from Amazon.com<\/a>\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n

When my colleague (a Punjabi of the today generation) asked me for some DVDs of the romantic hits of Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar it surprised me to see that a person who has had no exposure to classic Bengali films would want to watch old black-and-white films in a language she does not understand. When I inquired, she said the cover photograph of the book Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen – Bengali Cinema’s First Couple<\/a> had fascinated her and that she wanted to see what this famous “chemistry” was all about. That made me realize the impact and ageless magic of this iconic pair – it refuses to fade away although cinema has moved miles ahead, in terms of technique, tools and thematic content.<\/p>\n

With just 60\u00a0films (with Bengali and Hindi put together), Suchitra Sen’s repertoire is much lesser than her contemporaries or even her most famous co-star Uttam Kumar (who is said to have done over 200 films). However, despite the very limited body of work, she set milestones in cinematic proficiency and incredible star popularity that other actresses have found hard to match.<\/p>\n

“Be it her carriage, demeanour, attitude towards life, or even her sudden retirement and withdrawal from public life, Suchitra remains a mystery… A look at Suchitra\u2019s life and films reveals an intelligent woman intensely aware of her capabilities and charisma, and who went to great length to retain her mystique,” writes Maitreyee in her book Uttam Kumar And Suchitra Sen: Bengali Cinemas First Couple. <\/em><\/p>\n

Observes Peeyush Sharma, “In all the Uttam-Suchitra films I have seen (and being an Uttam fan, I saw most of them), never have I seen Suchitra not beating Uttam hands down in histrionics and performance. I might have not liked it in my younger days, but that is what it is and Suchitra remain an enigma, a legend for all time.”<\/p>\n

Chhupa lo yun dil mein pyar mera<\/em><\/strong> (Mamta<\/em>, 1966) Roshan \/ Majrooh Sultanpuri \/ Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar<\/span><\/p>\n