Bengali Actress Uma Dasgupta Dies After Prolonged Illness

Veteran Bengali actress Uma Dasgupta, best remembered for her role as Durga Roy in Satyajit Ray's iconic 1955 film ‘Pather Panchali,’ passed away on Monday after a prolonged illness. She had been hospitalised for several days before her demise. Celebrities and fans have been paying heartfelt tributes to the actress, acknowledging her contribution to Indian cinema. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and author Kunal Ghosh shared a poignant note in Bengali on Facebook, expressing his sorrow. The note read, “Durga from Pather Panchali is now really gone.”

Actor Chiranjit Chakraborty confirmed the news of her passing, stating that he received the heartbreaking update from Uma Dasgupta’s daughter.

After her unforgettable portrayal of Durga in ‘Pather Panchali,’ Uma Dasgupta did not pursue mainstream cinema. The film, an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel, marked Satyajit Ray's directorial debut and remains a cornerstone of Indian cinematic history.

‘Pather Panchali’ is celebrated as the first film in The Apu Trilogy. It portrays the tender yet tragic story of Apu and his elder sister Durga, exploring the trials of life in their impoverished Bengal village. The subsequent films, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959), chronicle Apu’s journey into adulthood.

Renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese once shared his experience of watching the film's English-dubbed version in New York. Speaking to PTI, Scorsese reflected, "It opened me to many different worlds." The director noted how the film's depiction of ordinary people, made by filmmakers from within that community, introduced him to a rich cultural narrative and universal human emotions.

Scorsese remarked, “Those are the people I usually see in the background of other films. The difference here is that this film is being made by them, the real people, and I’m being

introduced to another culture and another way of thinking.”