Mamata Shankar (born 7 January 1955) is an Indian actress and dancer. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has acted in films by directors including

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, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh. In addition to being an actress, she is a dancer and choreographer. She was the niece of musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. Her brother, Ananda Shankar, was an Indo-Western fusion musician. In January 2025, Mamata Shankar was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

Early life and education

Mamata Shankar was born on 7 January 1955 to the dancers Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar. She received her training in dance and choreography at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre, Calcutta under Amala Shankar.

Career

Shankar made her film debut with '' Mrigayaa'' in 1976, directed by

. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film for the year. Shankar is married, and runs the Udayan - Mamta Shankar Dance Company, which was founded in 1986, and which travels extensively throughout the world, with the 'Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe'. The troupe was founded in 1978, and performed its first production, based on a

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

work, ''Chandalika'', in 1979. It was followed by ''Horikhela'', ''Aajker Ekalabya'', ''Milap'', '' Shikaar'', ''Mother Earth'', ''Amritasyaputra'' and '' Sabari''.

Awards

* 1992: National Film Award – Special Jury Award (Feature Film) for '' Agantuk'' * 1993: BFJA Award – Best Supporting Actress Award for '' Shakha Proshakha'' * 2000: BFJA Award – Best Supporting Actress Award for '' Utsab'' * 2018: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2018 – Best Supporting Actress for '' Maacher Jhol'' * 2023: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2023 – Best Supporting Actress for '' Projapoti'' * 2025: Padma Shri * 2025: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2025 – Best Actress (Critics') for ''Bijoyar Pore''

Filmography

* * '' Mrigayaa'' (''The Royal Hunt'', 1976) * '' Oka Oori Katha'' (''The Marginal Ones'' or ''The Outsiders'', 1977) * '' Dooratwa'' aka ''Distance'' (1978) * '' Ek Din Pratidin'' (''And Quiet Rolls the Dawn'' or ''One Day Like Another'' (USA), 1979) * ''Bapika Bidai'' (1980) * ''Kalankini'' (1981) * '' Kharij'' (''The Case Is Closed'', 1982) * '' Grihajuddha'' (''Crossroads'', 1982) * '' Dakhal'' (''The Occupation'', 1982) * '' Grihajuddha'' (''Crossroads'', 1982) * ''Nishante'' (1985) * ''Neelkantho'' (1985) * '' Shakha Proshakha'' (''The Branches of the Tree'' or ''Les Branches de L'arbre'', 1991) * '' Agantuk'' (''The Stranger'' aka ''Le Visiteur'', 1991) * ''Sunya Theke Suru'' (''A Return to Zero'', 1993) * '' Prajapati'' (1993) * '' Sopan'' (1994) * '' Daughters of This Century'' (1995) * '' Dahan'' (''Crossfire'', 1997) * '' Utsab'' (''The Festival'', 2000) * '' Waaris'' (2004) * '' The Bong Connection'' (2006) * ''Samudra Sakshi'' (2006) * '' Ballyganj Court'' (2007) * ''Drishti Pradip'' (2008) * '' Abohomaan'' (''The Eternal'', 2010) * '' Jaani Dyakha Hawbe'' (2011) * '' Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona'' (2011) * '' Jaatishwar'' (2014) * '' Agantuker Pore'' (2015) * ''

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

'' (2016) * '' Maacher Jhol'' (2017) * ''Flat No 609'' (2018) * '' Shah Jahan Regency'' (2019) * '' Shesher Golpo'' (2019) * '' Antardhaan'' (2021) * ''Bhotbhoti'' (2022) * ''Antarleen'' * ''Flat No. 609'' * '' Projapoti'' (2022) * '' Shibpur'' (2023) * ''Palaan'' (2023) * '' Pradhan'' (2023) * ''Bijoyar Pore'' (2024) * '' Projapoti 2 '' (2025)

References

External links

*
Mamta Shankar Dance Company, website

Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Mamata Indian film actresses Indian female dancers Indian women choreographers Indian choreographers 1955 births Living people Actresses from Kolkata Actresses in Bengali cinema Gokhale Memorial Girls' College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Dancers from West Bengal 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Filmfare Awards East winners Filmfare Awards Bangla winners