Suchitra Sen’s birthday today

Today is the 87th birthday of noted Indian film actress Suchitra Sen who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema.

The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema.
Suchitra Sen was born on April 6, 1931 in Pabna, Bengal Presidency, British India.

Sen was the first Indian actress to receive an award at an international film festival when, at the 1963 Moscow International Film Festival, she won the Silver Prize for Best Actress for playing a disillusioned alcoholic in Saptapadi.

In 1972, she was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in India. From 1979 on, she retreated from public life and shunned all forms of public contact; for this she is often compared to Greta Garbo.

In 2005, she refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest cinematic award in India, to stay out of the public eye.

In 2012, she was conferred the West Bengal Government’s highest honour: Banga Bibhushan.

She was married to Dibanath Sen. She died on January 17, 2014 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.