Noted Bengali actor Sreela Majumdar passed away in her Kolkata residence over the weekend, as announced by her family. She was 65 and had suffered from cancer for the past three years. Condoling her death, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called her a powerful actor who played outstanding roles in several significant Indian films. She added, “It is a big loss for Bengal film industry and we shall miss her stellar presence. My condolences to her family.”
Sreela worked with prominent director Mrinal Sen in several films. Her portrayal of characters in Mrinal Sen's ‘Ekdin Pratidin’ (And Quiet Rolls the Dawn, 1980), ‘Kharij’ (The Case is Closed, 1982) and ‘Akaler Sandhane’ (In Search of Famine; 1981), have been critically acclaimed. She also worked in some films in Bollywood. Some of her notable work include Shyam Benegal's ‘Mandi’ (Market Place, 1983), Prakash Jha’s ‘Damul’ (Bonded Until Death, 1985) and Utpalendu Chakraborty's ‘Chokh’ (Eye, 1983).
Sreela was also known for her sensitive voice dubbing for Aishwarya Rai in the film ‘Chokher Bali’ (A Passion Play, 2003) which was directed by Rituparno Ghosh. She was last seen in ‘Palan’ by Kaushik Ganguly, a sequel to ‘Ekdin Pratidin.’ The film received wide critical acclamation last year.
She is survived by her husband and son.