India's highest-paid actress worked with Sanjeev Kumar, Uttam Kumar, suddenly quit acting, didn’t appear in public for 36 years after holy man..., once rejected Raj Kapoor due to..

Many actors and actresses in Bollywood have achieved unimaginable stardom only to retire from public life, at the height of their success, eventually turning into recluses. It is difficult to understand how a superstar would just choose to live a lonely life despite having thousands of fans around them. One such actress was Suchitra Sen, widely known as 'Mahanayika' or the great actress. Suchitra Sen worked in Bengali and Hindi films and earned immense fame as Paro from Dilip Kumar's Devdas, the main character of Gulzar's Aandhi, and for her chemistry with Uttam Kumar. However, despite her success and superstardom, Suchitra Sen decided to live a secluded life in Kolkata. 

Who is Suchitra Sen? 

Born in April 1931, Suchitra Sen made her debut in the film industry with the Bengali film Shesh Kothaay in 1952. Her first Hindi movie was Devdas (1955) opposite Dilip Kumar. Suchitra Sen's last release was Pranay Pasha in the year 1978. After this, she took a retirement from public life, leading a simple life away from the glamour world. There were many speculations about why Suchitra Sen, at the peak of her stardom, chose to live a recluse life. While some suggested that she did not wish for people to see her grow old, others theorised that there was a deep sadness in her heart that she was wary of sharing with the world. 

Suchitra Sen, who was the highest-paid female actor of her time, decided to live a quiet life after a holy man told her to do so, according to Gopal Krishna Roy, a man who has written four books based on her life. 

In a 2014 interview with NDTV, Gopal Krishna Roy revealed that after her last film Pranay Pasha flopped, Suchitra Sen was upset and headed to Ramakrishna Mission’s headquarters, where she met Bharat Maharaj. "I later heard she sat at his feet and wept and wept. And Bharat Maharaj told her, ‘Ma, ghridho, lobh koro na, don’t be greedy'. And that, I think, Mrs Sen translated into her own life by becoming a recluse."

Why did Suchitra Sen reject Raj Kapoor? 

Suchitra Sen was a woman of steel whose work ethic revolved around how her heart guided her. Suchitra Sen once famously refused to work with Raj Kapoor as she "did not like his personality". During a chat with Amitabh Choudhury for his book Aamar Bondhu Suchitra Sen, she shared, "In men, I don’t look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I had refused Raj Kapoor’s offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role, and as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved – sitting near my foot – did not befit a man."

Suchitra Sen died on January 17, 2014, due to a heart attack. She was 82 years old.

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