West Bengal: Sreela Mazumdar, actress of cult Mrinal films, dies at 62
Times of India | 29 January 2024
KOLKATA: Sreela Mazumdar, the actress of cult Mrinal Sen films, died on Saturday, the day a film festival in the city screened ‘Akaler Sandhane’, a Sen cult in which she acted with Smita Patil. Sreela was 62 and she lost her battle with cancer at her residence. She is survived by her husband and son.
Describing her as a “noted and powerful actress who played outstanding roles in several significant Indian films”, chief minister Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences and called her demise a “big loss for Bengal film industry”.“We shall miss her stellar presence,” she posted. It was Sen’s actress wife, Gita, who had recommended Sreela’s name after listening to her play, ‘Antyoja’ on All India Radio. Sen had wanted a dark and slim girl and had waited for Sreela to finish her Madhyamik exams before casting her in his ‘Parashuram’.
Not just Sen’s ‘Ekdin Pratidin’, ‘Khandhar’, ‘Akaler Sandhane’ and ‘Kharij’, Sreela had also acted in Shyam Benegal’s ‘Mandi’ and ‘Arohan’, Utpalendu Chakraborty’s ‘Chokh’ and Prakash Jha’s ‘Damul’. She gave the voiceover for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Chokher Bali’. Her forthcoming releases are ‘Anneswan’ and ‘Amar Labangalata’ with Rituparna Sengupta.
Two of her more notable performances in recent times were in Kaushik Ganguly’s ‘Palan’ and Indrasis Acharya’s ‘Parcel’. She had even sung a song in ‘Parcel’. “The cinematic journey that began with Mrinal Sen’s film ended with ‘Palan’, which was made as a tribute to Sen’s ‘Kharij’.
Sreeladi’s life came full circle. Her biggest strength was her ability to disown her personal social background and perfectly fit into the social landscape her character belonged to,” said film-maker Kaushik Ganguly, who played her husband in Aniket Chattopadhyay’s ‘Shankar Mudi’. Sreela shot for ‘Palan’ in the summer of 2023. By then, the chemo sessions for her ovarian cancer were over.
“She grappled with ovarian cancer for three years and three months. She got cured and then there was a relapse. She was an extraordinary person who had an iron willpower. But by December, her cancer had spread to her brain,” said her husband, SNM Abdi. But no one in the unit of ‘Palan’ was aware of her illness. “When I look back, I realize there was discomfort. On the sets, she engaged in two types of acting. One, where she shielded being unwell and the other, where she played the character of Sreela in ‘Palan’,” Ganguly said.
Sreela’s friend from Tollywood, Rituparna Sengupta, was at Sreela’s home on Saturday. “She died in my arms,” Abdi said. “Our son, who lives in London, is here. We wanted her to look like a Bengali bride. So, I applied vermilion on her parting and alta on her feet. Rituparna came home. They were close. She even chose the sari and perfume Sreela would wear on her final journey.” Sengupta said, “She was my elder sister. She might have nursed a wound for not having got many opportunities. Yet, she was always optimistic and would always talk about bouncing back soon.”Explore Your Financial Landscape with Personalized Credit Insights.