Aparna Sen's 7 most memorable Tollywood performances

In the past 72 years, if there is one aspect that has remained the same, it’s the beauty, grace and charm of actress Aparna Sen. Although she was one of the gorgeous actors of her time, her films were never just about her appearances. Aparna Sen’s characters have always been progressive and strong-minded, which were the factors that made her a legend of Bengali cinema.

Here is a list of films of her most memorable performances.

The 1973 Bengali superhit 'Basanta Bilap' managed to tickle the funny bone of a generation of movie buffs. The film saw a battle of ego between a group of four young ladies and men and their rivalry which soon lead to a romance, thus giving some of the best comic sequences ever. Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen’s brilliant acts accentuated this film's simple storyline. It’s an out-and-out comedy with many stock characters that hold their own in this story with its many comical twists and turns.

Just like Julie Andrews and Chris Plummer in ‘Sound Of Music’, the Uttam Kumar-Aparna Sen Jodi too stole every single heart in ‘Jay Jayanti’ which happens to be the Bengali remake of the Hollywood classic. Add Sandhya Mukherjee’s evergreen songs and Manabendra Mukhopadhyay's composition to this Sunil Basu Mullik directorial and the 1971 hit turned out to be a magical experience. Nonetheless, Aparna Sen as the governess of a group of kids delights us with her effortless portrayal of a motherly figure.

Inspired by a novel by Nimai Bhattacharya, 'Memsaheb' starred Uttam Kumar in the lead. Director Pinaki Mukherjee did a superb job by combining the political world and romance of that period. Aparna Sen excelled as the young, educated Professor, who falls in love with a hotshot journalist played by Kumar. While both stand for each other and dream for a happy future, which is cut short by political violence. This film, despite its romantic elements, brought the ethics of journalism to the big screen.

If you haven't watched 'Baksa Badal', you would have to be one of the very few. Satyajit Ray penned the script of this romantic comedy. It’s an out and out commercial potboiler and not one of those artsy and intellectual gems one expects from Ray. The story is about the accidental exchange of similar looking suitcases during a train journey. The protagonists Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen amazed everyone with their brilliant onscreen chemistry and eventually became cinematic legends.

In the film 'Paromitar Ek Din', a unique friendship forms the crux of the story. It revolves around Paromita (Rituparna), a modern woman and her mother-in-law Sanaka (Aparna Sen) who forge a friendly bond. The differences in age and thoughts don’t stop them from becoming each other's confidant. But, Paromita and Sanaka's son one day splits away and the social structure creates a barrier between the two. The Aparna Sen directorial tries to explore the characteristics of women of different generations and establishes shocking differences and similarities from a wider perspective.

The complexity of a mother-daughter relationship is superbly picturised in the Rituparno Ghosh directorial 'Unishe April'. The complexity between Sarojini (Aparna Sen) and her late husband paints the harsh realities of our society. The same thing happens to Aditi as her boyfriend doesn’t want her as a wife because she is a daughter of a dancer. Aparna Sen excelled in her role. Both the personality of a professional dancer and mother has tactfully been displayed by her character Sarojini. Debashree Roy as the daughter Aditi amazed the audience.

'Swet Patharer Thala', directed by Prabhat Roy, deals with the situation of a widow Bandana, in the post-independent period. The narrative also portrays the changing mindset in contemporary society. Aparna Sen as Bandana pulled off one of the best performances in her career. ‘Swet Patharer Thala’ tell us how difficult it is to bring about change and end the plight of women. The situation is quite similar to that which all women face, whether educated or working. Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Rituparna Sengupta, Indrani Haldar, Bhaskar Banerjee also played pivotal roles in this Bengali classic.