Supriya Devi | |
|---|---|
 Devi receivingPadma Shri Award fromPranab Mukherjee | |
| Born | Krishna Banerjee (1933-01-08)8 January 1933 |
| Died | 26 January 2018(2018-01-26) (aged 85) |
| Other names | Supriya Choudhury |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952 1958–2018 |
| Notable work | Amrapali Meghe Dhaka Tara Shuno Baranari Komal Gandhar Swaralipi Teen Adhyay Sanyasi Raja Sister |
| Spouses | |
| Relatives | Sean Banerjee (grandson) |
| Awards | Padma Shri Banga-Vibhushan Filmfare Award BFJA Awards |
Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work inBengali cinema for more than 50 years.[1] She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta inRitwik Ghatak's Bengali filmMegha Dhaka Tara (1960).[2][3][4] She was conferred theFilmfare Award and theBFJA Award twice. In 2011, she received theBanga-Vibhushan, the highest civilian honour inWest Bengal.[5] In 2014, she was awarded thePadma Shri by the Government of India, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for her contributions to the entertainment industry.[6]
She made her debut inUttam Kumar starrerBasu Paribar (1952) under the direction of Nirmal Dey and successively appeared inPrarthana (1952) directed by Pranab Ray.[2] However, IMDb lists 1951 Hindi film Shokhiyan as her first film. She, then took a hiatus and returned to filmdom inMarmabani (1958) under Sushil Majumdar's direction.[2] She rose to prominence after she had appeared in theUttam Kumar blockbusterSonar Harin (1959), directed by Mangal Chakraborty.[4] At the beginning of the 1960s, she came to a bigger attention for her successive roles in films such asMeghe Dhaka Tara (1960),Shuno Baranari (1960),Komal Gandhar (1961),Swaralipi (1961),Agnisanskar (1961) and others. She made herBollywood debut oppositeDharmendra inBegaana (1963) under Sadashiv Rao Kavi's direction.[2]
Supriya was born inMyitkyina,Burma.[7] Her father was Gopal Chandra Banerjee, a lawyer. He was fromFaridpur (now in Bangladesh).[7] DuringWorld War II, her family moved toCalcutta (present-dayKolkata, India).[7][8][9]
Supriya was seven years old when she made her acting debut in two plays directed by her father. She was a dancer since her childhood, even receiving an award fromThakin Nu, then-Prime Minister of Burma, who was moved by one of her dance recitals. From her childhood, her closest friend was Nihar Dutta, who married into the Guha Thakurata Family and becameMrs Nihar Guha Thakurata, an eminent Social Worker of Burma of her time.[10]
In 1948, the Bannerjees left Burma for good and re-settled in Calcutta. They had been refugees in 1942 when the Japanese forces occupied Burma. The young Supriya and her family were forced to undertake an arduous trek on foot to the safety of Calcutta.[2][10]
In Calcutta, she resumed her dance lessons and trained under Guru Muruthappan Pillai and later under Guru Prahlad Das. Supriya and her family were on friendly terms withChandrabati Devi who was their neighbour. It was throughChandrabati Devi's inspiration and contacts that Supriya Choudhury stepped into the world of Bengali films.[citation needed]
She made her debut inUttam Kumar starrerBasu Paribar (1952) under the direction of Nirmal Dey and successively appeared inPrarthana (1952) directed by Pranab Ray andShyamali (1952) directed by Binoy Bandyopadhyay.[11] She, then took a hiatus and returned to filmdom inMarmabani (1958) under Sushil Majumdar's direction.[2][12] She rose to prominence after she had appeared in theUttam Kumar starrer blockbusterSonar Harin (1959) directed by Mangal Chakraborty.[13]
She rose to higher prominence after she had played the role ofAmrapali inAmrapali (1959) directed by Sree Tarashankar and produced by Nalanda Films.[14][15]Vyjayanthimala who was later found to play the same titular role was full of praise for her performance in the film.[16]
At the beginning of the 1960s, she came to a bigger attention for her successive roles in films such asMeghe Dhaka Tara (1960),Shuno Baranari (1960),Komal Gandhar (1961),Swaralipi (1961) to name a few.[17][10] She made herBollywood debut oppositeDharmendra inBegaana (1963) under Sadashiv Rao Kavi's direction.[18] She was applauded for her performance in the 1973 blockbusterSanyasi Raja.[19][20]
She was applauded for her performance inRaja Sen'sNational Award winning Bengali filmAtmiyo Swajan (1998). Rediff described her performance in the film as "a fairly good fleshing out Supriya Devi".[21]
In 1954, Supriya married Bishwanath Choudhury and a few years later her only daughter Soma was born.[22] The couple divorced in 1958.
She retired from films for a while before returning in the late 1950s. Later she was married to MahanayakUttam Kumar in 1963 and was living together till the death of Uttam Kumar in 1980, who was also a childhood friend of her youngest brother.[13][23][24]
Supriya died of aheart attack inKolkata on 26 January 2018, aged 85.[25]
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Amar Jiban Amar Uttam. (Autobiography, Memoir)
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