I WANT TO EXPLORE MY UNKNOWN SELVES THROUGH FILMS

Is Rituparna Sengupta the last superstar of Bengali cinema? TMS checks out her star power at Delhi's Travancore Palace, where she was here for a spotlight on her films, and talks to her about her upcoming projects and her three-decade-long career that's still going strong.

- AKASH CHATTERJEE

It is said that after the legendary actor Suchitra Sen, it has been the reign of Rituparna Sengupta in Bengali cinema.

Sengupta's success story began almost 25 years ago. She made her name with Shet Patharer Thala (1992), but it was Paromitar Ek Din (2000) that made her truly famous.

In small West Bengal towns, her cutouts were garlanded; eager crowds would line up outside its sole cinema to see her on the big screen.

Sengupta made her screen debut in the Bengali fantasy TV series Shet Kapot (1989).

Thirty-six years down the line, her career remains vibrant.

Unlike her contemporaries well past their prime, she has sustained her passion for her craft.

When The Morning Standard caught up with her at the I View World Film Festival which recently premiered in New Delhi's Travancore Palace, there was a spotlight for three of her movies, Ajogyo (2024), Puratawn (2024), and Distances (a short film), she said, "I am interested in diverse things. I do a lot of stuff other than films. Presently, I am writing a book, am associated with many charitable foundations, and doing a lot of shows.

However, films are my real driving force. I have planted myself at the core of this profession, and hence, I can't be superficial about it."

Diverse filmography

For Sengupta, coming to the world of films "was an accident."

With no background in films, she never thought of becoming a star.

However, things changed when