Bangladesh condoles demise of iconic actress Suchitra Sen

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday condoled the demise of legendary Indian actress Suchitra Sen, saying Bengalis have lost an iconic figure in her passing.

In a message of condolence, Hasina said Sen, described as the Greta Garbo of Bengali movies, was one of the actresses whom she admired the most.

"Bengali people have lost a distinctive figure of classical Bengali daughter, wife and caring mother at her death," said the three-time premier of Bangladesh.

She said Sen, who in her career mainly focused on the regions of Bengal and Bangladesh, will always be remembered as an inspiration for making "ameliorative cinema on Bengali literature and culture".

The actress was born as Rama Dasgupta at Pabna, now in Bangladesh, in 1931.

In a separate message, President Abdul Hamid said Sen's death marked the end of an era of Bengali cinema.

"Suchitra Sen was also an asset of the country as her native home is in Pabna and she had millions of fans in Bangladesh," he said.

Hamid said Bengali people have lost a charismatic figure of classical Bengali cinema.

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia too mourned Sen's death.

"Suchitra Sen was an ever-shining bright star in the subcontinent's film arena. She will be remembered forever for her acting talent," Zia said in her condolence message.

Sen, 82, died in Kolkata today, over three weeks after she was hospitalised for a respiratory infection. She died of heart failure, doctors said.

The doe-eyed beauty acted in over 50 Bengali movies like 'Saat Paake Bandha','Agnipariksha', 'Saptapadi' and 'Deep Jwele Jai'. She also made her mark in Bollywood movies like 'Devdas' and 'Aandhi'.