Farewell to the ever-green dream girl

She had something transcendental about her beauty. Mesmerising and yet full of a distinct personality, Suchitra Sen curved for her a niche in every Bangalee's heart, particularly in his or her prime of youth. It was an indelible impression she was able to create -one that has assumed a universal memory in the collective mind. From Pabna-born Rama Sen she shot to the status of a romantic goddess, the ultimate ageless dream girl irrespective of time and generations. There she has no match on the celluloid of the sub-continental filmdom. Even in world cinema there are few like her. She had her only match in Greta Garbo. Both of whom rose to the pinnacle of success to become a silver screen icon by their own rights of talent and elegance and then opted for the life of a recluse -Suchitra for 35 years and the Swedish-born diva for as long as 49 years. One dies at the age of 83 and the other at 84.
After such dominating and captivating on-screen presence, their abrupt withdrawal from public life is what remains till today a mystery. But their reclusion only made their appeal even greater. What is remarkable is that the lengthy public solitude gave rise to all kinds of rumours about Garbo but not so much about Sen. The transition of the girl from a Stockholm slum into the prima diva of Hollywood is anything if not a heroic tale. In case of Rama, the girl from Pabna, the journey was not from rags to riches but a struggle involving the recognition of female artistes against gender discrimination -one that was begun by her celebrated predecessor Kanan Devi, the first melody and movie queen of Bengali cinema.       
With a decent upbringing in her childhood, Suchitra was married to a wealthy family and it was not easy for her to enter the world of tinsel town. Few details are available about her relationship with her husband who died in an accident in the United States. His death, knowing circles claim, brought the greatest change in her life. She chose solitude and her long silence comparable to Greta Garbo's has given her an identity of her own. A few have naively tried to explain that it was because she wanted to remain as the ageless beauty that she was in the minds of her fans. While there may be a grain of truth in it, this certainly cannot explain the whole truth. Insiders say she became a disciple of Ramkrishna-Vivekananda tenet and devoted her life to meditation and devotion to God after her husband's accidental death.
What a transformation to a life adored by millions! This is no easy job. She could turn her back to the glamorous world because she was in search of something higher and divine. Thus the dream girl rises above the temptation of popularity and dedicates her life to something, she might have thought, more abiding. She knew exactly where to bring an end to her film career. Beauty and grace combined together to lend her an irresistible charm but credit goes to her for rising above her physical appeal to a higher plane where surrender to the supreme being has made her life sublime and esoteric. She had lived her own life.
Few indeed are fortunate enough to live a life of his or her own. Her break-up with her celluloid life may have surprised and pained many but until the last movie in which she acted against Soumitra Chatterjee in 1978, there remains a treasure trove for all to delve deep. No doubt, hers will be an ever so lasting impression.