Bengali actress Sreela Majumder, the voice behind Aishwarya Rai in Chokher Bali, passes away

Sreela Majumder, arguably one of the finest actresses of this generation and the voice behind Aishwarya Rai in Rituparno Ghosh’s Chokher Bali, breathed her last in Kolkata on January 27. She was 61. She was suffering from cancer.  

The actress started her career when she was 16. It was Mrinal Sen who cast her in Paradsuram in 1979. Ever since, she worked with some of the finest directors, including Shyam Benegal in Mandi. She worked extensively with Mrinal Sen in celebrated films like Khandhar, Ek Din Pratidin, and Akaler Sandhane. In Mrinal Sen’s Kjharij she is seen as a key character. In fact, she was last seen in Kaushik Ganguly’s Palaan – an extension of Kharij as his tribute to Mrinal Sen in his centenary. 

According to several film historians, despite her calibre, Sreela Majumder did not get her due. Rituparna said, “I lost my didi (elder sister). It will never sink in I know. She stood by me all the time. She always told me to keep walking no matter how difficult the time may come. I will always remember her words. It is because of her I never felt that I don’t have my own sister.”