Photo: Collected

Suchitra Sen, for the emotive verve of her acting and the phenomenal charm of her beauty, caught the imagination of many, becoming one of the most endeared stars of the industry. The celebrated actor, who passed away in 2014, would have been 88 today. 

She was born on this day in 1931 in Pabna of British Bengal, soon moving to Kolkata with her family.

 Suchitra started her career in cinema with the film, Sarey Chuattur, in 1953. Most notably, she worked with Uttam Kumar in over 25 films, including the classics, Sagorika, Harano Sur and Saptapadi. She played Sagorika, Dr Roma Banerjee  and Reena Brown respectively, with elegance. The song of love, Tumi Je Amar, from Harano Sur, featuring Uttam and Suchitra, resonates with people to this day.

Suchitra is further renowned for her portrayal of the nurse, Radha Mitra, in Deep Jwele Jai. In Saat Panke Badha (1963), a film about tragic complexities in a middle-class family,  Suchitra gave a powerful performance in the central role.  She was honoured with the Moscow Film Festival Best Actress Award for her part in the film that year. Her stardom combined understated sensuality, feminine charm and emotive force with a no-nonsense gravitas.