CM condoles demise of actor Swatilekha

kolkata: Noted theatre personality Swatilekha Sengupta passed away in the city on Wednesday morning at the age of 71. She is survived by her husband and famous thespian Rudraprasad Sengupta and daughter Sohini.

She was suffering from kidney ailments and undergoing treatment at a private nursing home since the past three weeks. Mourning the actor's demise, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her death would create a void in the world of acting. Banerjee expressed her deep condolences to her family members, friends and relatives.

Sengupta made her debut in feature film with Satyajit Ray's Ghare Baire in 1984. She played the role of Bimala. Her work was appreciated by the audience and film critics across the globe. Later, she acted with Soumitra Chattopadhyay in Belaseshe directed by Shibaprasad Mukhopadhyay and Nandita Roy after more than three decades. She acted in Belashuru directed by Mukhopadhyay and Roy. The film could not be released in 2020 due to pandemic. Meanwhile, Chattopadhyay passed away in 2020. State Education minister Bratya Basu said her death was the end of an era. Basu, who had acted with her in Kanyadan, said she had sharp understanding and sense of acting. Theatre actor Debshankar Halder said Sengupta had her own style of acting. Sengupta was a brilliant student of English literature and a trained musician, who could play many instruments, including violin. She got Sangeet Natak Akademi award and West Bengal Theatre Journalists' award.