The ninth anniversary of the death of the legendary Bengali film actress SuchitraSen was observed at her ancestral home at Hemsagar Lane in Pabna on Tuesday.

Admirers paid tribute to SuchitraSen placing floral wreath on her mural at her ancestral home, which has been turned into SuchitraSenSangrahashala.

Following which, SuchitraSenSmritiSangrakshanParishadorganised a commemorative programme.

Assistant high commissioner of India in RajshahiManojKumer was present as chief guest at the programme.

Freedom fighter and Pabnazilaparishad chairman ASM Abdur Rahim Pakon, Pabna municipality mayor SharifuddnProdhan, Pabna additional superintendent of police MasudAlam, professor Kamruzzamn and Pabna press club president ABM Fazlur Rahman, among others, were present as special guests at the programme, which was presided over by acting president of SuchitraSenSmritiSangrakshanParishadRamdulalBhoumik.

NareshMadhu, general secretary of SuchitraSenSmritiSangrakkhanParishad, delivered welcome speech at the programme.

Much of Suchitra’s endless appeal lay in her persona. She was refreshingly free of the clutches of tradition she could be playful, provocative, and intelligent, controlled, poised and dignified a radical change from the notions of a woman set to patriarchy.

She was no rebel really. In so many of her roles, she was a giving and caring person, who excelled as a beloved, friend, sister-in-law, daughter, etc. A combination of these two, somewhat contrasting value systems made her a classical beauty.

So complete was her hold over the Bengali public and the film industry that she was often referred to as Mrs. Sen, out of awe and admiration.

SuchitraSen was the second Indian actress to receive an award at an international film festival at the 1963 Moscow International Film Festival. And in 1972, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.

No discussion of Suchitra can be complete without a mention of her legendary pairing with the other great exponent of acting, Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chatterjee). They were the golden pair of Bengali cinema from 1950s till the 1970s. In a career spanning close to 25 years, she acted in 60 films, of which 30 were with Uttam Kumar.

Suchitra went on to work in many films that didn’t feature them together. One of her best-known roles as an actor remains in the film Deep JweleJaai (1959), directed by AsitSen, where she plays a hospital nurse who is required to develop a personal relationship with male patients as part of their therapy. The film was remade in Hindi as Khamoshi with WadeehaRehman as the lead and is considered an all-time classic.

Born as Roma Dasgupta on April 6, 1931 in Pabna, SuchitraSen spent her early days in Pabna town. She passed away in Kolkata on January 17, 2014.