Miss Shefali, also known as ''Arati Das'' (1944 – 6 February 2020) was an Indian Bengali actress and dancer who was recognized for her work in Bengali cinema. She had worked with film director

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

in classics like

Pratidwandi ''Pratidwandi'' () is a 1970 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray based on the novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It is the first part of the Calcutta trilogy. ''Pratidwandi'' tells the story of Siddharta, an educated middl ...

and

Seemabaddha ''Seemabaddha'' ( Romanization of Bengali, ''Shimabôddho''; English title: ''Company Limited'') is a 1971 in film, 1971 social drama Bengali language, Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based on the novel ''Seemabaddha'' by Mani Shan ...

. She is known as the Queen of

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

Early life and background

Arati Das was the youngest of three sisters from a

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

family of

Narayanganj Narayanganj () is a city in central Bangladesh in the Greater Dhaka area. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka. With a population of almost 1 million, it is the 6th largest city in Bangladesh. It is als ...

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

(now in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

) which migrated to India during the Partition of Bengal. She started performing

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

at the age of 11 at Firpo's hotel and later in the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

to earn for her family and then there was no looking back.

Career

Arati Das had made her film debut in Bengali film named ''

Chowringhee Chowringhee (also Chourangi) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road (officially Jawaharlal Nehru Road) runs on its western side. A neighbo ...

'', in which she acts with actors like

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 ...

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), widely known as Mahanayak (), was an Indian film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and playback singer who predominantly worked in Bengali cinema ...

Utpal Dutt Utpal Dutt (; 29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little The ...

, and Biswajit. Besides films, she also acted in several stage plays and theater. Her plays include ''Samrat O Sundari'', ''Saheb Bibi Golam'', and ''Ashlil''. She was also a writer. Her autobiography ''Sandhya Rater Shefali'' (Shefali of the Evenings and Nights) was published recently.

Personal life

An American national named Robin Rootland once wanted to marry her, but she decided to stay in India as unmarried for her family.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* Indian female dancers 1944 births 2020 deaths Actresses in Bengali cinema 20th-century Indian actresses {{India-film-actor-stub