Late actress Sujata Kumar, best known for her role in films like English Vinglish and Raanjhanaa, took up acting 12 years after being married to "reclaim her freedom," her sister Suchitra Krishnamoorthi revealed in an obituary she wrote, which was published in Mumbai Mirror on Tuesday. In the piece, Suchitra said that her sister never "craved for fame." Apart from films, Sujata Kumar featured on television shows such as Hotel Kingston and Bombay Talking and Suchitra said that when Sujata got bored with the graph of her onscreen character she'd ask her directors to "kill off" her character. "She took up acting after being married for 12 years, not because she craved fame - she never cared about that, and in fact, she had always shied away from the limelight. She did it on a whim, to reclaim her freedom," Suchitra wrote in the piece.
"But sometimes, she would get so bored with her acting jobs that she would call up her directors and tell them to kill off her character. 'Mere character ko haar daalke photo lagado,' she would laugh," Suchitra added.
Sujata Kumar led a life filled with trials and tribulations in the form of an abusive childhood and a failed marriage, of which she talked about at a TEDx event independently organised by a local community. Suchitra also shared the undated video of Sujata talking in details about the dark chapters of her life - from delivering a stillborn baby to the overlapping of her divorce proceedings and chemotherapy. In the video, titled How To Filter Emotional Pollutants From Your Life, revealed the heart-breaking details of her life.
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In her piece for Mumbai Mirror, Suchitra also remembered Sujata Kumar as a "compassionate soul" and said that she "practically raised her and was her best friend." Suchitra wrote: "Over the years, I took her goodness for granted but like she would tell me, 'Be bindaas,' I was just that. I will miss her quiet wisdom as much as her raucous laughter."
Sujata Kumar died after battling cancer on Monday. Sujata is survived by her daughter Kritika Kumar.
