Sreela Majumdar had a lot more to give to the camera than she got an opportunity to do. Her mentor Mrinal Sen saw grea potential in her . Mrinalda not only introduced Sreela he cast her in four back-to-back films: Parasuram ,Ek Din Pratidin ,Akaler Sandhane and Kharij at the start of her career, before moving on to Utpalendu Chakraborty’s acclaimed Chokh.
Chokh was one of Sreela’s finest and most challenging roles. She played the widow of Om Puri’s character who fights for justice for her husband after his death.
I remember Om discussing Sreela with me during the shooting of Chokh. “There is this new girl with me, a powerhouse actress.She is a favourite of Mrinal Sen. She has a natural aptitude for the camera. No showing off , no look-at-me kind of attitude.”
The late Kalpana Lajmi who cast Sreela as a househelp in Ek Pal once told me, “She has a small role. Ek Pal is Shabana’s film all the way. But Sreela is so powerful, she makes you forget the length of her role. I wish I could write a whole film based on her character.”
Sreela Majumdar’s going has shocked her co-star Shabana Azmi. “Sreela’s passing away has come as a total jolt from nowhere . I had no idea she had been ailing for some time . She was a very fine actor and her performances had great emotional depth. We did three films together Mandi,Khandhar and Ek pal and she was very funny and extremely warm . We met rarely but whenever we did it was very easy bonding .My condolences to her family and friends.”
No matter what the length of the role,Sreela was unfailingly effective in the smallest of parts.The audience often didn’t recognize her by name but would point at her character to show its appreciation.
