Sabitri Chatterjee (born 22 February 1937) is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali theatre and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

. Her career spans more than 60 years. She is the recipient of

BFJA Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ) ...

for two times. In 1999, she was conferred with

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

for Acting in Bengali theatre. In 2013, she was awarded by the Government of West Bengal its highest civilian award; the

Banga Bibhushan Banga Bibhushan Samman ( bn, বঙ্গবিভূষণ) is a title instituted by the West Bengal government to honour the services of personalities in various fields. The Banga Ratna Samman and the Banga Bhushan Samman ("Bengal ornament" ব� ...

. In 2014,

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

conferred upon her its fourth-highest civilian award the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

. She was born in

Comilla Comilla (; bn, কুমিল্লা, Kumillā, ), officially spelled Cumilla, is the fifth largest city of Bangladesh and second largest in Chittagong division. It is the administrative centre of the Comilla District. The name Comilla was ...

, in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

). During the partition of Bengal, she was sent to the safety of an older, married sister's house in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

located at

Tollygunge Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South In ...

. At her teenage she got noticed by

Bhanu Banerjee Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, also known as Bhanu Banerjee (born as Samyamoy Bandyopadhyay; 26 August 1920 – 4 March 1983), was an Indian actor, known for his work in Bengali cinema. He acted in over 300 movies, in numerous plays and performed freque ...

who took her to Uttar Sarathi group theatre for a role in their play ''Natun Ihudi''. Later she emerged as a prominent thespian personality for the titular role in the play ''Shyamali'' which was staged at

Star Theatre A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ...

. She made her big screen debut in

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, script writer, composer, and singer who predom ...

starrer ''Sahajatri'' (1951) directed by Agradoot and appeared as her first female lead in

Sudhir Mukherjee Sudhir is an Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' means "very wise", "resolute". Notable people with the name include: *Sudhir (Pakistani actor) (1922–1997), Pakistani actor *Sudhir (Hindi actor) (1944–2014), Bollywood actor * ...

's comedy film ''Pasher Bari'' (1952) which was a major success at box office. She is remembered for her roles in films such as ''Raat Bhor'' (1955), ''Upahar'' (1955), ''Abhayer Biye'' (1957), ''Nupur'' (1958), ''Gali Theke Rajpath'' (1959), ''Marutirtha Hinglaj'' (1959), ''Kuhak'' (1960), ''Badhu'' (1962), '' Bhranti Bilas'' (1963), ''Uttarayan'' (1963), ''Jaya'' (1965), ''Kal Tumi Aleya'' (1966), '' Nishipadma'' (1970), ''Dhanyi Meye'' (1971) and ''Malyadan'' (1971) to name a few.

Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatterjee (also spelt as Chattopadhyay; 16 June 193515 November 2020) was an Indian film actor, play-director, playwright, writer, thespian and poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of I ...

described her as the finest actor he has worked with.

Early life and background

Sabitri was born in 1937 in a small town of Kamalapur in

Comilla District Comilla District, officially known as Cumilla District, is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometres south east of Dhaka. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to th ...

of present-day

and is youngest among ten sisters. Her father Sashadhar Chatterjee, who belonged to a famous Kulin

Rarhi Brahmin Rarhi may refer to: * A person from the Rarh region of eastern India * Rarhi dialect West Bengali or Central Bengali, simply known as Rāṛhī (), is the dialect of Bengali language spoken in the southeastern part of West Bengal, in and around ...

family from a Kulin Brahmin village called Kanaksar in

Bikrampur Bikrampur ("City of Courage") was a pargana situated south of Dhaka, the modern capital city of Bangladesh. In the present day, it is known as Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal and was a part of the Bhawal ...

, worked as a station master in

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

. During the partition of Bengal, young Sabitri was sent to the safety of an older, married sister's house in

located at

– the hub of filmmaking in Kolkata. Being brought up in Tollygunge she often got opportunity to see filmstars of that time.

Career

Film career

When Sabitri Chatterjee was in class ten, she was noticed by veteran actor

who picked her up for a role in ''Natun Ihudi'', a play of Uttar Sarathi group theatre on the refugees from

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wit ...

. The play was being directed by Kanu Banerjee – the actor who would later perform as ''Harihar Roy'', in

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of ...

's '' Pather Panchali'' and '' Aparajito''. Sabitri also acted the film version of the play which was released in 1953. She made her big screen debut in

starrer ''Sahajatri'' (1951) directed by

Agradoot Agradoot () was a group of Indian film technicians signing collectively as director, a phenomenon unique to Bengali cinema. The Agradoot core unit, formed in 1946, consisted initially of Bibhuti Laha (cameraman, 1915–1997), Jatin Datta (sound) ...

and appeared as her first female lead in Sudhir Mukherjee's comedy film ''Pasher Bari'' (1952) which was a major success at box office. Sabitri Chatterjee's next film assignment was '' Subhada'' (1952) – a film based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and directed by Niren Lahiri along with

Chhabi Biswas Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ...

and

Pahari Sanyal Pahari Sanyal (22 February 1906 – 10 February 1974) was an Indian actor and singer who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. Sanyal acted in many Bengali films, such as '' Harano Sur'', ''Bhanu Goenda Jahar Assistant'', and ''Shilpi''. ...

. In this film, she played the role of an unfortunate girl named Lalana. In the same year, she appeared in the

starrer family drama '' Basu Poribar'' (1952), directed by

Nirmal Dey Nirmal is a town and the district headquarters of Nirmal district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is famed for its toys made out of wood. The district headquarters is located in the town of Nirmal. It borders the Telangana districts of A ...

, which had

Supriya Devi Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film '' Megh ...

in the role of Uttam Kumar's sister. Sabitri and Uttam Kumar had been friends since 1951,

offered her to act in a theatrical production to be produced by his group Krishti O Srishti. The Uttam-Sabitri combination became a favourite of the Bengali cine-goers and their friendship withstood strong but false rumours of marriage. They would be responsible for a series of films, including ''Lakh Taka'' (1953), ''Kalyani'' (1954), ''Anupama'' (1954), ''Raikamal'' (1955), ''Nabojanma'' (1956), ''Punar Milan'' (1957), ''Marutirtha Hinglaj'' (1959), ''Raja-Saja'' (1960), ''Dui Bhai'' (1961), ''Bhranti Bilas'' (1963), ''Momer Alo'' (1964) and '' Nishipadma'' (1970). They also had major roles in

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...

's first feature film ''Raat Bhore'' (1955) and

Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...

's second effort ''Upahaar'' (1955). ''Bhranti Bilas'', ''Mouchak'' and ''Dhanyi Meye'' rank high among the Bengali comedy films. In the early eighties, Sabitri did not appear on screen as before. However, in the late 1980s, she came back with films such as ''Mamoni'', ''Anandalok'' and ''Haar-Jeet''.

TV career

Sabitri Chatterjee continues to act in commercial Bengali cinemas and television till date. She is one of the stars of the mega soap opera ''

Sonar Harin Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

'', that has run more than 1000 episodes, which was aired on

ETV Bangla Colors Bangla, previously known as ETV Bangla, is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in Bengali language. It was launched in 2000 as ETV Bangla, owned by the Hyderabad-based ETV Network. It was later sold to TV18 ...

. She has acted as Muktokeshi in the serial ''Subarnalata''. (The title role was played by the National Film Award-winning Ananya Chatterjee), an adaptation of Ashapurna Devi's novel, which was aired on

Zee Bangla Zee Bangla is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in the Bengali language. It is owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is the first Bengali-language satellite television channel in India, officially com ...

and as Sona thamma in '' Jal Nupur'' which was aired on

Star Jalsha Star Jalsha is an Indian Bengali language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It broadcasts Bengali-language programming, such as family dr ...

. She is acted as a senior matriarch of a family in the TV serial Kusum dola, which is aired in

STAR Jalsha Star Jalsha is an Indian Bengali language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It broadcasts Bengali-language programming, such as family dr ...

. She has played the master chef in ''Joto Hashi Toto Ranna'', which is a fiction cum reality cookery show, where kitchen skills are weaved around a fictional plot revolving around a certain Gupta family. She played a minor role in 2012 Star Jalsja serial ''

Tapur Tupur This is the list of programming broadcast by Star Jalsha, a West Bengal-based Bengali-language television channel. Current broadcasts Drama series Non-fiction show Acquired programming Former broadcasts Acquired programming *''Mahaprab ...

'', and is currently playing the role of a yesteryear actress in ''

Chokher Tara Tui This is the list of programming broadcast by Star Jalsha, a West Bengal-based Bengali-language television channel. Current broadcasts Drama series Non-fiction show Acquired programming Former broadcasts Acquired programming *''Mahaprabh ...

''. This TV serial is also aired in Star Jalsha. She acted in an Indian Bengali show named ''

Andarmahal ''Andarmahal'' was a Bengali television soap opera that premiered on 5 June 2017 and initially aired Monday to Friday at 10:30 PM IST on Zee Bangla. It had been later shifted to the 9:30 pm time slot. The show is produced by Magic Moments Motio ...

'', which aired on very popular Bengali Entertainment channel Zee Bangla. She is currently acting in series of ''

Dhulokona ''Dhulokona'' is an Indian Bengali language television series which premiered on Star Jalsha from 19 July 2021 and it is also available on digital platform Disney+ Hotstar. The show is produced under the banner of Magic Moments Motion Pictures ...

'' aring on ''Star Jalsha''.

Awards

* The Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) Award for Best Actress in Supporting Role in 1967 for " Kal Tumi Aleya" *

BFJA Award Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

-Best Actress in Supporting Role in 1972 for "Malyadan" *

for Acting in Bengali theatre in 1999. * Kalakar Awards- Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. *D.Lit degree from Kalyani University in 2012 *

Award in 2013 for her contribution to Indian Cinema. *

Award in 2014 for contributions in Film arts.

Filmography

# '' Aporajeyo'' (2022) # '' Maati'' (2018) #''

Thammar Boyfriend ''Thammar Boyfriend'' is a 2016 Indian Bengali comedy film directed by Anindya Ghosh and stars Abir Chatterjee, Sabitri Chatterjee, and Arunima Ghosh. The film released theatrically on 18 November 2016. Synopsis Nandini is a wealthy and lone ...

'' (2016) ... Nandini Mitra # '' Praktan'' (2016) # ''

Highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

'' (2014) # '' Hemlock Society'' (2012) # ''

Podokkhep ''Podokkhep'' ( bn, পদক্ষেপ "Footstep") is a 2006 Bengali film by Suman Ghosh. Plot At the end, the only love which lasts is the love that has accepted everything, every disappointment, every failure and every betrayal, which has a ...

'' (2006)... Shobita # ''Tapasya'' (2006) # '' Har Jeet'' (2000) # '' Bahadur'' (1992) # ''

Anandalok ''Anandalok'' ( bn, আনন্দলোক ) is a Bengali film magazine published by the ABP Group from Kolkata, India. It is usually published on the 12th and 27th of every month. ''Anandalok'' started on 25 January 1975. In early 2000s, Ri ...

'' (1988) # '' Mamoni'' (1986) # '' Rajnandini'' (1980) # '' Brojobuli'' (1979) # '' Phool Sajya'' (1975) # ''

Mouchak ''Mouchak'' (Bengali: মৌচাক) is a Bengali romantic comedy film directed by Arabinda Mukhopadhyay and produced under the banner of Pratima Pictures. The film stars Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, Ranjit Mullick, Mithu Mukherjee (actres ...

'' (1974) # '' Heerey Manik'' (1979) # ''

Sei Chokh ''Sei Chokh'' is a Bengali romantic drama film directed by Salil Dutta based on a story on Bengali novelist Bimal Mitra. The film was released 30 July 1976 under the banner of Gitali Pictures. Nachiketa Ghosh was the music director of Sei Ch ...

'' (1976) # '' Sesh Parba'' (1972) # ''

Dhanyee Meye ''Dhanyee Meye'' ( bn, ধন্যি মেয়ে) is a 1971 Bengali romantic comedy film directed by Arabinda Mukhopadhyay. The cast includes Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, Partho Mukherjee, Jaya Bhaduri, Jahor Roy and Nripati Chattopa ...

'' (1971) # '' Malyadaan'' (1971)... Patal # ''

Pratham Pratishruti ''Prothom Protishruti'' (; ), also spelled Pratham Pratishruti, is a 1964 Bengali novel by Ashapurna Devi. Considered to be Devi's magnum opus, it tells a story of Satyabati who was given away in marriage at the age of eight to maintain the soc ...

'' (1971) # ''

Nishi Padma ''Nishi Padma'' is a 1970 Bengali drama film written and directed by Arabinda Mukhopadhyay, based on a short story ''Hinger Kochuri'' by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, and starring Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterjee as leads. The film had music by ...

'' (1970)... Padma # '' Kalankita Nayak'' (1970) # '' Manjari Opera'' (1970)... Manjari Devi # '' Pathey Holo Dekha'' (1968) # '' Grihadaha'' (1967)... Mrinal # '' Kal Tumi Aleya'' (1966)... Sonaboudi # ''Antaral'' (1965) # '' Jaya'' (1965)... Jaya # ''

Momer Alo ''Momer Alo'' is a 1964 Bengali film directed by Salil Dutta. The film stars Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterjee in lead roles. It has music composed by Robin Chatterjee. Synopsis Deepa a schizophrenic patient loses her normalcy due to a misha ...

'' (1964)... Deepa # '' Shes Anko'' (1963)... Lata Bose # ''

Uttarayan The term Uttarāyaṇa (commonly Uttarayan) is derived from two different Sanskrit words – "uttara" (North) and "ayana" (movement) – thus indicating a semantic of the northward movement of the Sun on the celestial sphere. This movement begin ...

'' (1963) # '' Bhranti Bilaas'' (1963) # ''

Nav Diganta NAV or Nav may refer to: Government agencies * Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, Norwegian public welfare agency, the Norwegian abbreviation and common name is NAV. Medicine and biology * Nav, voltage-gated sodium channels * nerve- ...

'' (1962) # ''

Dui Bhai Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

'' (1961) # '' Haat Baralei Bandhu'' (1960) # '' Kuhak'' (1960) # '' Raja-Saja'' (1960) # '' Gali Theke Rajpath'' (1959) # '' Marutirtha Hinglaj'' (1959) # '' Daak Harkara'' (1958) # ''

Daktar Babu Miconazole, sold under the brand name Monistat among others, is an antifungal medication used to treat ring worm, pityriasis versicolor, and yeast infections of the skin or vagina. It is used for ring worm of the body, groin (jock itch), and fe ...

'' (1958) # ''

Punar Milan ''Punar Milan'' is a 1940 Bollywood film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, ...

'' (1957) # '' Abhoyer Biye'' (1957) # '' Daner Maryada'' (1956)... Usha # '' Nabajanma'' (1956) # '' Paradhin'' (1956) # '' Raat Bhore'' (1956) # '' Raikamal'' (1955) # ''

Godhuli ''Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane'' or ''Godhuli'' is a 1977 Indian drama film co-directed by Girish Karnad and B. V. Karanth, starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah. It is based on the Kannada novel '' Tabali Neenade Magane'', ...

'' (1955) # '' Paresh'' (1955) # '' Upahar'' (1955)... Krishna # ''

Annapurnar Mandir ''Annapurnar Mandir'' () was a Bengali social drama film directed by Naresh Mitra based on a same name novel of Nirupama Devi. This film was released on 6 August 1954 under the banner of ''Chitra Mandir'' and received 2nd National Film Awards i ...

'' (1954) # '' Anupama'' (1954) # '' Bidhilipi'' (1954)... Sandhya # '' Bratacharini'' (1954) # '' Champadangar Bou'' (1954) # '' Kalyani'' (1954) # ''

Moyla Kagaj ''Moyla Kagaj'' (English: ''The Dirty Paper'') is a Bengali social drama film directed by Premendra Mitra. This film was released in 1954 under the banner of Mitrani Limited. Plot Cast * Anil Chatterjee * Dhiraj Bhattacharya * Nripati Chatt ...

'' (1954) # ''

Kajari Kajari is a folk song and dance genre of India. It is a Hindustani classical music genre, performed during the rainy season usually late June to September when lush greenery reappears and agricultural labor begins again. It is often used to de ...

'' (1953) # ''

Lakh Taka ''Lakh Taka'' is a Bengali drama film directed by Niren Lahiri, and starring Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, Bhanu Banerjee, Chhabi Biswas and Jahor Roy. The music direction is by Shyamal Mitra and Niren Lahiri. It was released on 1 January ...

'' (1953) # '' Natun Yahudi'' (1953) # ''

Subhadra Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of d ...

'' (1952)... Lalana # '' Basu Paribar'' (1952) # ''

Pasher Bari ''Pasher Bari'' () is a 1952 Indian Bengali-language romantic comedy film directed by Sudhir Mukherjee based on the short story of the same name by Arun Chowdhury. This film was released on 7 March 1952 under the banner of Production Syndicate. T ...

'' (1952) #Ladies Seat #Protinidhi #Protishodh #Obaak Prithibi #Notun Diner Alo #Dinanter Alo #Baluchori #Montromugdho #Muktisnam # #'' Subarnalata #

Ishti Kutum Ishti Kutum is a Bengali TV serial that aired from 24 October 2011 to 13 December 2015 on Star Jalsha. It started telecasting everyday from 3 May 2015. The show was produced by Magic Moments Motion Pictures company. This is the first serial p ...

# Jol Nupur #''

'' # Kusum Dola #

Mayurpankhi ''Mayurpankhi'' is an Indian Bengali television soap opera that premiered on 12 November 2018, and aired on Bengali General Entertainment Channel Star Jalsha, and is also available on the digital platform Hotstar. The show was produced by M ...

# Mohor #

# #

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterjee, Sabitri Actresses in Bengali cinema Indian film actresses 1937 births Living people Actresses from Kolkata Bengali actresses Bengali theatre personalities 20th-century Indian actresses Indian stage actresses Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts People from New Alipore