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Actor Soumitra Chatterjee turns 81

by IBNS 18 Jan 2016, 06:03 pm

Kolkata, Jan 19 (IBNS) From playing an onscreen sleuth to Devdas, the ultimate tragic character in the history of Indian cinema, Soumitra Chatterjee has done it all. The actor turns a year older as he celebrates his 81st birthday on Tuesday.

The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee started his career with Apur Sansar, the third installment of the Apu Trilogy, directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray.

Chatterjee went on to collaborate with the master film-maker and churned out hits. Together they made 14 films, most of which are classics in Bengali cinema today.

Chatterjee's rapid rise saw him compete with some of the finest actors in Tollywood. His rivalry with another Bengali legend Uttam Kumar is well known.

Apart from acting in films, he regularly performs on stage and is also a poet and has rendered his voice for audio stories.

His journey in films for over five decades have seen him bestowed with several awards. Most notably the Dadasaheb Phalke, which he won in 2012.

He is also a Padma awardee, received the Padma Bhushan in 2004. Other awards include two National Film Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and a Filmfare East award.