One of the strongest pillars of Bengail Cinema, Suchitra Sen is in a serious condition and has been shifted to the ICU after she was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata following a respiratory tract infection on Sunday December 29, 2103.

The Eighty two year old actress, who has been a recluse for a while now and stays locked up inside her apartment, was admitted to Belle Vue Clinic earlier this week after she complained of breathlessness.

The clinic has formed a five-member-committee to monitor the health of its star patient ably led by cardiologist Doctor Subrata Moitra. Sources in the Belle Vue Clinic said that she is now on oxygen and has been administered antibiotics as she has complained of chest pain.

Rama Dasgupta or Suchitra Sen as we all know her started her career with the Bengali film Shesh Kothaay in 1952.  She went on to receive a National Award for her performance in the 1955 Devdas, which was her first Hind Film. She is also the first Indian actress to be awarded at an international film festival Best Actress Award for Saptapadi in the year 1963 at the Moscow Film Festival. The film also starred Uttam Kumar, Chhabi Biswas and Chaya Debi and was directed by Ajoy Kar.

She has been known for her fire brand attitude and had the guts to refuse Satyajit Ray‘s offer due to date problem; as a result Ray never made the film Devi Chaudhurani and if this was not enough she even refused to work for Raj Kapoor who had offered her a film under his banner R.K. Films.

In the year 1978, when her film Pronoy Pasha with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, she disappeared from the public eye she allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005, preferring to live in seclusion out of the public eye.

In the year 2012, she was conferred West Bengal Government’s highest award Banga Bibhushan for her immense contribution to Bengail Cinema.

Married to Dibanath Sen, she has one daughter, Moon Moon Sen and two grand daughters Raima Sen and Ria Sen.

Here’s wishing Suchitra Sen a speedy recovery.