Veteran Bengali actor Supriya Devi passes away

“She felt unwell around 6.20 a.m. She was in the bathroom then. When doctors were called, they declared her dead,” they said.

Born on January 8, 1933, in Mitkina in erstwhile Burma (now Myanmar), Supriya Devi was one of the leading figures of the golden era of Bengali cinema that saw her straddle the screen space with great aplomb alongside the late Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.

Soumitra Chatterjee and Sabitri Chatterjee now remain the few surviving representatives of that generation.

In 2014, Supriya Devi was honoured by the government with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, for her contribution to Indian cinema. In 2011, she had also received the Banga-Vibhushan, the highest civilian award of West Bengal.

Supriya Devi had acted in around 50 films. She was last seen on the big screen in The Namesake. Supriya made her debut in Basu Parivar with Uttam Kumar. Chowringhee and Bagh Bandi Khela were some of her most popular films.

Very saddened at the passing of legendary actress of Bengal, Supriya Chowdhury (Debi) . We will fondly remember her through her films. Condolences to her family and fans

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 26, 2018

West Bengal Chief Misnister also expressed her sorrow at the actor’s demise with the tweet, “Very saddened at the passing of legendary actress of Bengal, Supriya Chowdhury (Debi) . We will fondly remember her through her films. Condolences to her family and fans.”