Suchitra Sen is a recluse like Greta Garbo
Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has become the only public personality in the last 35years to have met reclusive actress Suchitra Sen.
Sources close to the 82-year-old screen goddess who isoften compared to Hollywood legend Greta Garbo for being arecluse told PTI that since 1978 only a handful of people haveseen her face-to-face.
Mrs Sen's granddaughter-actress Raima Sen agreed that Mamata Banerjeeis the only public personality who has been able to meet hergrandmother, now recovering in super-speciality hospitalfollowing respiratory tract infection.
"It is very rare that she meets someone outside herfamily. So this was a very rare occasion," said Mrs Sen's closefriend Gopal Roy adding that she met Mamata Banerjee out of respectfor the chief minister.
Raima said she has "no idea" on what made her grandmothermeet the chief minister. On Friday, the chief minister had visited Belle VueClinic where Mrs Sen is admitted but went away without meeting theactress.
When Sen learnt about Mamata's visit, she expressed the desireto meet her after which Mamata Banerjee rushed to the hospital andmet her personally for around 25 minutes.
"I am undoubtedly fortunate enough to get an opportunity to meet her in person. I am overwhelmed and proud to meet thelegendary actress whose films we have seen so many times. It is an emotional moment," Mamata Banerjee later wrote on her Facebook page.
After her 1978 movie Pronoy Pasha with SoumitraChatterjee flopped, Mrs Sen disappeared from the public eye andreportedly even refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 toavoid a public appearance.
Suchitra Sen stays confined to her south Kolkata apartment andhardly anyone outside her close circuit has seen her in thelast three decades.
Old-timers recall that when Bharat Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Mission passed away in 1989, she had walkedbarefoot at Belur Math, near Kolkata.
"The only other time she was seen in public was when she went out to vote," Roy said. Even whenever she is admitted toa hospital, a tight security is maintained so that no one can click a photograph or even see her face.Her reason for withdrawal from public life, however, remains a mystery.Having acted in 52 Bengali and seven Hindi films for three decades, Suchitra Sen is remembered for memorable roles in films like Devdas and Aandhi, Saat Paake Bandha, Agnipariksha, Saptopadi and Deep Jele Jai.
Sources close to the 82-year-old screen goddess who isoften compared to Hollywood legend Greta Garbo for being arecluse told PTI that since 1978 only a handful of people haveseen her face-to-face.
Mrs Sen's granddaughter-actress Raima Sen agreed that Mamata Banerjeeis the only public personality who has been able to meet hergrandmother, now recovering in super-speciality hospitalfollowing respiratory tract infection.
"It is very rare that she meets someone outside herfamily. So this was a very rare occasion," said Mrs Sen's closefriend Gopal Roy adding that she met Mamata Banerjee out of respectfor the chief minister.
Raima said she has "no idea" on what made her grandmothermeet the chief minister. On Friday, the chief minister had visited Belle VueClinic where Mrs Sen is admitted but went away without meeting theactress.
When Sen learnt about Mamata's visit, she expressed the desireto meet her after which Mamata Banerjee rushed to the hospital andmet her personally for around 25 minutes.
"I am undoubtedly fortunate enough to get an opportunity to meet her in person. I am overwhelmed and proud to meet thelegendary actress whose films we have seen so many times. It is an emotional moment," Mamata Banerjee later wrote on her Facebook page.
After her 1978 movie Pronoy Pasha with SoumitraChatterjee flopped, Mrs Sen disappeared from the public eye andreportedly even refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 toavoid a public appearance.
Suchitra Sen stays confined to her south Kolkata apartment andhardly anyone outside her close circuit has seen her in thelast three decades.
Old-timers recall that when Bharat Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Mission passed away in 1989, she had walkedbarefoot at Belur Math, near Kolkata.
"The only other time she was seen in public was when she went out to vote," Roy said. Even whenever she is admitted toa hospital, a tight security is maintained so that no one can click a photograph or even see her face.Her reason for withdrawal from public life, however, remains a mystery.Having acted in 52 Bengali and seven Hindi films for three decades, Suchitra Sen is remembered for memorable roles in films like Devdas and Aandhi, Saat Paake Bandha, Agnipariksha, Saptopadi and Deep Jele Jai.
