Sharmila Tagore says ‘I feel I’ve lost a part of me’ as opens up about Soumitra Chatterjee's sad demise!

The news of Soumitra Chatterjee’s sad demise sent shockwaves across the nation and many actors like Sharmila Tagore and Amitabh Bachchan mourned the loss of the veteran Bangla actor. The renowned actor was celebrated for his work in films by the legendary Satyajit Ray.

During a recent interaction with PTI, the Sharmila, 75-year-old actress spoke about Chatterjee’s loss and said that she still hadn’t processed the loss. She further added that they shared a connection beyond films with him. 

Sharmila-Soumitra began their careers together, starring in Apur Sansar, the third part of Ray’s Apu trilogy. The duo went on to work in other films including - Devi, Aranyer Din Ratri, and Barnali.

Speaking to PTI, she said, “I was 13 years old and he was 10 years elder to me when we started working in Apur Sansar. In the film, those beautiful dialogues that we spoke to each other also endeared us to each other. That was the beginning. I really respected, admired him, and for what he stood for. He was one of my oldest friends, after my husband Tiger (cricket legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) and actor Shashi Kapoor. He has been such a loyal and fun friend.”

The duo went on to make history with their performance in the films and Sharmila stated that Soumitra’s non-judgmental nature only strengthened their relationship. The actress described their relationship and maintained that it wasn’t transactional. 

We could lead our parallel lives and yet have a connection, somewhere because our thoughts, depth, and loyalty was the same. Soumitra knew I’d never speak ill of him. There was no questioning of what we shared, we didn’t have to prove it. If I didn’t talk to him or if he didn’t talk to me, I wouldn’t feel ‘Oh God he hasn’t wished me, he doesn’t remember my birthday.’ It was just so organic. I can’t give it any name.

- Sharmila Tagore

Reminiscing about some of the most cherished memories, Sharmila Tagore revealed that their wide-ranging discussions on everything held under the sun. The multiple National award-winning duo grew fond of each other over the similarity through the world they viewed.

The Amar Prem actress maintained that Soumitra was a wonderful companion. She further mentioned that the two ensured that their banter would be endless. Sometimes he would understand her point of view, other times she would agree with his belief.

“We would talk for hours on sports, history, our vision of India. I find him irreplaceable that way because there’s nobody else I can share so much with. If I expressed a certain point of view, he’d agree and expand or shoot it down and give his reasons. That kind of friendship is so rare. To lose that is huge,” she said.

In another interaction with SpotboyE, Sharmila Tagore remembered her time with  Chatterjee, during their shoots on two outdoor locations and said, “One was for Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer  Din Ratri and the other for Goutam Ghose’s  Abar Aranye. Almost everyone connecting with these films is gone. After our shooting, we had our adda, gupshup and there was a connection with him that I can’t explain.  His success made me happy. And vice versa. He got along very well with Tiger. When he  won the Padma Bhushan and the Dasa Saheb Phalke award, we met and celebrated.” 

She added, “Every time I felt I hadn’t spoken to him for too long I’d guiltily call him and we would chat. We recited poetry together on stage several times. That was a learning curve for me. We also did a poetry-reading play called Ke Tume. It was well appreciated. We also performed in Bangladesh together. We vibed well. He was a wonderful friend. I  feel I’ve lost a part of me. But I also know his legacy is ineradicable. He never strove to be a star. He was Satyajit Ray’s muse. Their  14 films together stand testimony to a historic collaboration like Martin Scorsese and Robert di Niro.’”