New Delhi, India

Uma Dasgupta, who played Durga in Satyajit Ray's landmark film Pather Panchali, passed away in Kolkata on Monday (Nov 18). She was 84. Dasgupta's portrayal of the innocent village girl Durga in the film, which was adapted from a novel written by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, is well etched in the hearts of millions of cinema lovers. 

Pather Panchali (1955), part of Ray’s Apu Trilogy, marked a turning point in Indian cinema with its neorealist approach. The film’s iconic scenes remain timeless, such as Durga and her brother Apu running across fields to glimpse a distant train. The film is considered one of the bibles for film schools worldwide. 

Durga of Pather Panchali dead

Uma Das Gupta had been battling cancer for a prolonged period and breathed her last at a private hospital in Kolkata. The news of her demise was confirmed by actor and politician Chiranjit Chakraborty, who expressed his condolences and remembered her contributions to Bengali cinema.

Dasgupta only starred in one film and then lived a private life away from the limelight. After her performance in Pather Panchali, she never took up acting again and taught at Kolkata's Jadavpur Vidyapith until she retired in 2000. She is survived by her daughter and son. 

Reacting to the news of her death, Sandeep Ray, filmmaker Satyajit Ray's son spoke to Bollywood Hungama and paid his condolences. Sandeep revealed that Dasgupta was selected to play Durga without any audition. “She came to our Lake Avenue house with somebody whom my father knew,” he said. “And my father talked to her for a little while and she was cast. It's as simple as that! No audition, nothing at all. My father treated both Uma and Subir Banerjee (who played Apu) as adults, you know. No chocolates, no, you know, nothing. He never used to do that. He never pampered even his adults, no matter how big a star.”

Sandeep revealed Uma was a natural born before the camera. “The strangest part is that she was not, you know, a professional actress. She was not! She only starred in one film and she was so, you know, so striking with her work. It takes a lot of guts with that kind of adulation to spurn all offers. It must have been very difficult. That height of excellence in her first film would have been impossible to match. I have very faint memories, you know. I was about two years old. And after that, she didn't keep in touch. She became a recluse. She was very shy. She was so good in that film. Oh, my God! We cannot imagine Pather Panchali without her. Without Durga,” he said.