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‘Kharij’ actress Sreela Majumder passes away

‘Kharij’ actress Sreela Majumder passes away
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KOLKATA: On Saturday evening, the Bengali film industry was shocked by the sudden demise of veteran actress Sreela Majumder. After battling cancer for over three years, she passed away at the age of 65 at her Kolkata residence.

Extending her condolences, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X: “Saddened by the news of the demise of film actress Sreela Majumdar today afternoon. Sreela was a noted and powerful actress who played outstanding roles in several significant Indian films.

It is a big loss for Bengal film industry and we shall miss her stellar presence. My condolences to her family.’

In Majumder’s life, one name that stood out prominently was Mrinal Sen. The iconic director discovered her during a play, and at the age of 16, Majumder made her debut in his film ‘Parasuram’ in 1979. The movie earned the Silver Prize at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. Throughout her career, Sen’s films like ‘Ek Din Pratidin,’ ‘Akaler Sandhane,’ ‘Kharij’ and ‘Khandhar’ shone the brightest. Interestingly, her last released film, ‘Palan,’ directed by Kaushik Ganguly, was a tribute to Sen’s ‘Kharij,’ with her playing a pivotal role in the new film as well.

Known for being one of the most gifted actresses in the Bengali film industry, Majumder collaborated with veteran directors such as Shyam Benegal (Arohan and Mandi), Prakash Jha (Damul), Utpalendu Chakraborty (Chokh), Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose, and Buddhadeb Dasgupta, among others. Despite her diverse filmography, she will mostly be remembered as Sen’s actress. She even dubbed for Aiswarya Rai Bachchan in Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Chokher Bali’.

During an interview of ‘Palan’ last year, the actress told Millennium Post: “We had so much fun working on ‘Palan’ as it reunited Mrinal da’s actors - Anjan Dutt, Mamata Shankar and myself - once again.” In RD Nath’s ‘Beautiful Life,’ Majumder played a significant role alongside Rituparna Sengupta and Tota Roy Chowdhury.

“She was my didi and will always be my didi. In the last few days, she was going through extreme pain, but she always had a positive outlook towards life. She told me how she wanted to do more shows and films together,” said Rituparna.

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