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Suchitra Sen, who worked primarily in Bengali cinema from the 1950s to 1970s, was often compared to Greta Garbo as she, much like the Hollywood star, stepped away from the limelight after an illustrious time at the movies. Not just Bengali, Sen was seen in a few Hindi films as well but whatever be the language of the medium, she was very choosy when it came to selecting the films that she wanted to do.
It is famously known that Suchitra refused to work with Satyajit Ray because he wanted her to act exclusively in his film while she had other commitments. In Hindi cinema, Suchitra first appeared alongside Dilip Kumar in 1955’s Devdas but one of her most famous roles here was in Gulzar’s Aandhi where she played a role that was said to be based on Indira Gandhi. But not many know that she once refused to work with Raj Kapoor because she “did not like his personality.”
In a chat with Amitabha Choudhury for his book Aamar Bondhu Suchitra Sen, she shared that she refused Raj Kapoor’s offer “almost immediately.” She was quoted saying, “In men, I don’t look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I had refused Raj Kapoor’s offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role and, as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved – sitting near my foot – did not befit a man.”
Suchitra, in the same book, shared that she shared a great friendship with Sanjeev Kumar, who was her co-star in Aandhi. “I made good friendship with Sanjeev Kumar, who was a wonderful person. And he was a good actor as well. He used to contact me every time he visited Kolkata and came to my place,” she said.
Aandhi was one of her last movies. After this, she appeared in only two films – 1976’s Datta and 1978’s Pranay Pasha. Suchitra passed away in January 2014.
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