Veteran actor Swatilekha Sengupta of Satyajit Ray's 'Ghare Baire' fame no more
Noted Bengali actor Swatilekha Sengupta passed away at a hospital in Kolkata earlier today (June 16), after a long battle with kidney ailments. She was 71.
She is survived by husband Rudraprasad Sengupta and daughter Sohini Sengupta. She was undergoing treatment at the private hospital, after being admitted there with renal problems.
Among tweets claiming Swatilekha Sengupta's death is a huge and irreplaceable loss, All India Trinamool Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and filmmaker Raj Chakraborty wished her soul to rest in peace. Chakroborty's upcoming project Dharmajuddha will mark Swatilekha Sengupta's last film.
"Very sad to hear about #SwatilekhaSengupta. RIP. Was fortunate enough to work with her briefly as producer for our film #Chauranga. Unfortunately, the desire to direct her will remain unfulfilled. Gone too soon. Will remain immortalised for her performance in #GhareBhaire," wrote filmmaker Onir, who produced Swatilekha Sengupta's 2016 critically-acclaimed film Chauranga.
Swatilekha Sengupta started her career as a theatre artiste in Allahabad in the early 1970s. She joined the theatre group Nandikar in 1978. In that group, she worked under director Rudraprasad Sengupta, whom she later married. Rudraprasad Sengupta is an actor and cultural critic as well. The couple's daughter, Sohini, is also a theatre artiste.
Furthermore, Swatilekha Sengupta was cast by Satyajit Ray for the portrayal of the character Bimala in 'Ghare Baire', which was based on Rabindranath Tagore's eponymous novel.
She also played the character of Arati in Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy's blockbuster 'Bela Seshe'. In both films, she was cast opposite Soumitra Chatterjee. The pair also worked together in Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy's upcoming film Bela Shuru, which will mark their last project together.
For her contribution to the theatre industry, she won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011. The actor was awarded the West Bengal Theatre Journalists' Association award. She also received Paschim Banga Natya Akademi Award.
She was last seen in Sudip Chakraborty's 2019 film Barof.
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