Durga of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’, veteran Bengali actress Uma Dasupta has passed away. The veteran was 85, and breathed her last after prolonged illness. The actress passed away around 8 am this morning.
Uma Dasgupta starred as Durga in Satyajit Ray’s iconic and legendary film ‘Pather Panchali’. Uma Dasgupta was a regular on the stage since childhood. Ray saw her acting in theatre while she was in school, and chose her for Durga in ‘Pather Panchali’. ‘Pather Panchali’, the film, based on the novel of the same name by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay saw the actress play the elder sister to lead ‘Apu’ a role, which would later be immortalised by the late Soumitra Chatterjee, another legendary actor in the Bengali entertainment industry. Uma Dasgupta never entered mainstream cinema after ‘Pather Panchali’. However, her portrayal of Durga remained in collective memory for her powerful performance.
The news of her death was first shared by actor Chiranjit Chakraborty. The actress was hospitalised for a few days following a bout of illness and passed away in the wee hours of the morning. The actor revealed that he received the devastating news from the actress’ daughter.
Earlier this year, rumours of the actress’ death spread rapidly, sparking discussions across social media. However, it was later revealed that she was in good health. Actor Chiranjit Chakraborty has expressed his condolences following her passing. The iconic roles of Apu and Durga from the black-and-white era remain etched in the hearts of audiences, still vivid after all these years.
‘Pather Panchali’, that released in 1955, depicts the childhood travails of the protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga amidst the harsh village life of their poor family. An adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, ‘Pather Panchali’ features Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta, Pinaki Sengupta and Chunibala Devi in major roles. This was the first film in ‘The Apu Trilogy’, with two succeeding films ‘Aparajito’ (1956) and ‘Apur Sansar’ (1959).
