Legendary actress Suchitra Sen dies at 82

Legendary actress Suchitra Sen, who is remembered for her performances in classics like 'Devdas', 'Aandhi' and 'Deep Jele Jai' and earned the sobriquet 'Greta Garbo of Bengali cinema' for being a recluse, died of a heart attack at a hospital here today at 82.
Family sources said the screen icon suffered a massive cardiac arrest at Belle Vue clinic where she was admitted on December 23.
Doctors tried their best to save her but she gave up at 8.25 am, the sources said.
Suchitra, who starred in over 60 films, is survived by her only daughter Moon Moon Sen and grand-daughters Riya and Raima, all actresses.

She was being treated at the private Intensive Treatment Unit of the hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was battling acute breathing difficulties.
Suchitra was cremated at the Keoratala crematorium in south Kolkata after being accorded a 21-gun salute as thousands of people, including VIPs like Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tollywood stars Prosenjit and Dev, paid their last tributes.

The wish of her fans to see how the actress, who remained out of public eye for the past 35 years, looked like in her last days remained unfulfilled, making it a mystery for ever.
The screen icon remained an enigma even in her death as the hearse carrying her body was covered with white flowers and black-tinted glass making it difficult for fans to catch a glimpse of the star.

Sources close to her family said this was done keeping with the last wishes of the actress whose acting prowess and magnetic personality had mesmerised audiences - both Bengali as well as Hindi.
The actress formed one of the most successful screen pairings with Uttam Kumar to rule the celluloid from the '50s to '70s.
Suchitra went on to receive a National Award for her performance in the 1955 Hindi film 'Devdas' and is the first Indian actress to be awarded at an international film festival - best actress award for 'Saat Paake Bandha' in 1963 Moscow film festival.
But after her 1978 movie 'Pronoy Pasha' with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, she disappeared from the public eye and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 preferring not to make a public appearance.