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 and
Seemabaddha. 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 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'', in which she acts with actors like
Supriya Devi,
Uttam Kumar,
Utpal Dutt, 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
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