#supriya devi

Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi died of a severe cardiac arrest at her residence here early on Friday, her daughter said. She was 85, reports BSS. Born in 1933, Supriya Devi was known for her work over five decades. She had made her debut in Uttam Kumar-starrer Basu Parivar in 1952 and never looked back afterSonar Harin opposite Uttam Kumar in 1959. Chowringhee, Bagh Bandi Khela and…

10 women from world cinema who inspire me...

In order--left to right, in rows: 

Maria in The Sound of Music (U.S., 1965). Maria always made me feel as a kid that good things were possible if you just kept your chin up and invested in people around you. Also that life plans were made to be broken. 

Vijaya Mehta in Kalyug (India, 1981). When I see this character (I have just been informed she is played by the famous parallel cinema director), who has a very minor role in the plot, technically, I remember that it is the silent women who often matter behind the scenes. What a face.  Belle in the original French Beauty and the Beast (France, 1946). A Gothic version of Belle whom I actually like. (Sorry Disney.) Karin in Stromboli (1950). Stuck in a post-WWII internment camp, Karin is thrown from the frying pan to the fire when she marries a man from the volcanic island of Stromboli. The result is a conflict between stifling island mores and space and her very real need for freedom. My personal experiences sailing in the Mediterranean, jumping into a few island subcultures blind, and going to Stromboli only slightly improve this film’s “Mio Dio” climax.  The female partisans in Stage Sisters (China, 1964). A group of women who are clearly sufficient unto themselves and rise above the propaganda their characters have been designed to serve. 

Chanda in Sharafat (India, 1970). A woman who is principled yet a social outcast is hardly unusual in Indian cinema. Still Chanda is educated, vulnerable, and brave ... and has the truly enviable ability to guilt audiences into submission.  Laura in Remington Steele (U.S., 1982-1987). A brilliant female detective and business owner with a real personality ... this is no two-dimensional “strong” TV woman. Pierce Brosnan was never as interesting again as when he was in her shadow. (Note: technically not cinema as such, but much of the show is cinema-referential, AND classic noir and screwball comedy inspired and thus counts.) Asha in Blackmail (India, 1973). As her name suggests, Asha’s greatest quality is her ability to hope against all odds. Also, unlike the usual Indian female protagonist, she loves twice, and walks away from a man who mistreats her to the one who she knows will treat her better.  Juthika in Suno Baranari (India, 1960). Brave enough to walk away from her own privileged world, defying her family, and snap up her own happy ending.  Tosya in The Girls (USSR, 1961). Humorous, impulsive, idealistic; Tosya is basically my best friends.

Tagging, anyone who wants to talk about the loose end screencaps of women who inspire them. 

That's what you think. 

AUNT, THEY WERE SINGING A DUET.