Suchitra Sen The Enigma

Tarun Goswami

Chances are if Suchitra Sen had heard herself being referred to as the “Greta Garbo of India” she would not have been amused at all. Nobody can accuse her of lacking originality; she lived life on her own terms till the very end. Hands on her hips, tilted chin, the ethereal but enigmatic beauty of Rina Brown of Saptapadi left a lasting impression on Bengali psyche which perhaps nothing could obliterate not even the decades of seclusion which she subjected herself to, after completing her last screen appearance, Pronoy Pasha.

Throw back your mind to that famous scene of Saptapadi, where Krishnendu (Uttam Kumar), rides a Norton Dominator motor cycle with his heart-throb Rina Brown (Suchitra Sen) on the pillion, on a meandering road while the duo sings: Ei path Jodi na sesh hoi tobe kamon hoto tumi boloto. For generations to come, it turned out to be the iconic song of romance on celluloid.

 

Later, in Alo Amar Alo, UttamKumar, playing the role of a rich businessman drove a Buick Roadmaster with Sen by his side, singing a song, Ato alo ato akash. If she played the coy lady love in these films, enjoying the wind sweeping off her face, clinging to her beloved, in reality she was a keen driver who loved automobiles, revelling in the thrill of speed. While Uttam Kumar, her co-star in the 30 of the 60 films she featured in, had a Rambler, Buick and Impala; Suchitra Sen rode a huge Plymouth, a 1960 Buick Super 8 and later bought a Cielo from Daewoo Motors. She took driving lessons from her husband Dibanath Sen and the duo were often seen speeding their Plymouth in the 1950s. In those days there were fewer cars on the streets of Calcutta and from Ballygunge Circular Road they often travelled as far as to Diamond Harbour.

Suchitra Sen was often seen driving her car to Tollygunge. Driving her blue and white Plymouth with her right hand on the steering wheel and smoking a king-size cigarette, she was a familiar sight in those days in the studio para. But despite all the familiarity she was always ‘Mrs Sen’ on the sets – such was her personality.This was true even on the sets of Aandhi which brought her a Filmfare nomination and the best actor award for her co-star, Sanjeev Kumar.

She then bought a Buick and often drove the car on Delhi Road along with her friends – PN Talukdar, Asit Sen and others. For maintenance she would take her vehicle to Walford Motors in Park Circus. The head mechanic, Mohammad Salauddin was a young man then and reminisced that she would wait in the manager’sroom till the servicing was over.The mechanic had to explain what spare parts had been changed and the condition of engine and gear oil. She was extremely fussy about her car and every fortnight it was given a polish. On one occasion while driving the car on Delhi Road, there was a breakdown and her car had to be towed away to the workshop. She was extremely annoyed with the mechanics. The culprit was the oil pump which had to be replaced.

In 1995, well into her post retirement days she bought a Cielo. But by then she had given up driving. During those days she turned to religion and meditation for succour. Her doors were closed to even close friends like Sandhya Mukherjee. The only one who could break her veneer was Uttam Kumar but he died within two years of her decision to live a secluded life. She often visited Belur Math and Dakshineswar Temple in a taxi. A Sikh cab-driver was her trusted chauffer on these occasions and they would leave for the temple early in the morning. Journalist Gopal Krishna Roy who was Sen’s friend said even the taxi in which she travelled in was maintained immaculately. Once, in the mid-1980s, after offering puja at the Dakshineswar temple she asked Roy to get her tea. When Roy was about to reach the cab some people in the parking lot recognized Sen. Sardarji drove off fast leaving a cloud of dust and Roy, behind.

Sen’s schoolmates from Pabna which is now in Bangladesh recollect even when she cycled to school and back home she rode it very fast. It gave her a lot of pleasure to see her friends lagging behind. Roy, who penned her biography had the opportunity to study her really close. According to him speed or swiftness was the essence of her enigmatic life. The decision to quit cinema was taken swiftly and there was no looking back thereafter. Uttam Kumar repeatedly urged her to reconsider the decision. He even threw a party where all her friends were invited to persuade her. But she decided to skip the party and it was cancelled. She had discussed her move with Bharat Maharaj who asked her not to pursue her career any more.

At Belur Math she often spent time at Maa Sarada’s temple, deep in meditation. After getting down from the taxi she would walk bare footed to the Ramakrishna temple. Sen visited Swami Lokeswarananda at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Gol Park and attended devotees’ conference. She often went to see Swami Ramananda, the secretary of Saradapith who later became secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan. She had donated two ambulance vans to carry patients.

Despite her distance from public, she was friendly with people from ordinary walks of life including the staff of Vedanta- the apartment that came up after pulling down her old house -the liftman, the gardener and the driver. She sent saris for their wives during Durga Puja.“Rama was very simple and taught everyone how a quiet and silent life should be led. Her sense of dignity was amazing and she knew how to show respect to others,” said Swami Ramananda. In films like Rajlakshmi O Srikanta or Uttar Falguni even when she played the fallen woman her quiet dignity came through.

Critics would remember her forher nuanced performances in films like Saat Paake Bandha or Deep Jwele Jai, die-hard romantics for Harano Sur, Shaapmochon, Pothey Holo Deri, her fans for her magical smile that lit up the screen and the world for the aura that was Suchitra Sen- till the very end.