Kolkata. Actress Uma Dasgupta, who left an indelible mark by playing the character of ‘Durga’ in Satyajit Ray’s famous film ‘Pather Panchali’, died in a private hospital here on Monday. Family sources gave this information. He told that the 84-year-old actress was suffering from cancer for a long time. He is survived by his daughters. At the age of 14, Dasgupta won the praise of audiences across the world by playing the role of ‘Durga’ in the film of the same name based on writer Vibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel ‘Pather Panchali’.
While performing on stage as a child artist at a school function, Satyajit Ray noticed Dasgupta and then contacted his school and family. Despite receiving worldwide praise and appreciation for her role in ‘Pather Panchali’, she preferred her personal life and was not seen in any other film afterwards. She was a teacher by profession.
When contacted, Satyajit Ray’s director son Sandeep Ray told PTI, “My father told me how comfortable and natural she was in front of the camera and how she would give excellent shots in a single take.” Sandeep told that he was young in 1954-55 and hence does not personally remember how Uma Dasgupta performed in the shoots, but later, he would meet her sometimes at functions and events. He said, “We last met at a function related to Pather Panchali. it was a long time ago. Don’t know why, why he didn’t act in any other film.”