Suchitra Sen's incomparable beauty and acting prowess had once attracted many legendary filmmakers including
Satyajit Ray and
Raj Kapoor but Bengal’s matinee queen politely turned down the two iconic director’s tempting offers to play the lead in their
films
. For Ray,
Suchitra Sen didn’t find dates but for
Raj Kapoor she actually didn't like the 'filmi' way he approached her for a role.
Bollywood’s 'Showman' Raj Kapoor once met the actress at her Kolkata residence as well with an offer to act in a Hindi movie under his R K Films banner.
What Suchitra Sen didn’t like was the 'filmi' style approach of Kapoor. It is believed Raj Kapoor dramatically knelt down on the floor with a bouquet in his hand and offered the film role to the popular Bengali actress. "Why a man has to bow down before a woman like this?" Sen had reportedly asked her close ones after politely refusing Raj Kapoor’s offer.
It was early 1960s when
Satyajit Ray had planned to make a cinematic adaptation of the famous Bengali novel '
Devi Chaudhurani' and he had initially approached Suchitra for the titular role.
But the legendary director had one condition; she has to block her dates and can’t be a part of any other film during the shoot. Suchitra Sen couldn’t accept the condition, so Ray had to drop the idea.
Being the face of Bengali matinee cinema at that time Suchitra Sen, despite being a loving and cheerful person, was a bit moody and used to take her decisions guided by her own temperament.