Supriya Choudhury

Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film Megha Dhaka Tara (1960). She was conferred the Filmfare Award and the BFJA Award twice. In 2011, she received the Banga-Vibhushan, the highest civilian honour in West Bengal. In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for her contributions to the entertainment industry. She made her debut in Uttam Kumar starrer Basu Paribar (1952) under the direction of Nirmal Dey and successively appeared in Prarthana (1952) directed by Pranab Ray. However, IMDb lists 1951 Hindi film Shokhiyan as her first film. She, then took a hiatus and returned to filmdom in Marmabani (1958) under Sushil Majumdar's direction. She rose to prominence after she had appeared in the Uttam Kumar blockbuster Sonar Harin (1959), directed by Mangal Chakraborty. At the beginning of the 1960s, she came to a bigger attention for her successive roles in films such as Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960), Shuno Baranari (1960), Komal Gandhar (1961), Swaralipi (1961), Agnisanskar (1961) and others. She made her Bollywood debut opposite Dharmendra in Begaana (1963) under Sadashiv Rao Kavi's direction.