Why Satyajit Ray couldn’t make 'Devi Chaudhurani'?

Suchitra Sen's incomparable beauty and acting prowess had once attracted many iconic filmmakers including Satyajit Ray but Bengal’s matinee queen politely turned down Ray’s tempting offer to play the lead in his film.
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.