One of the images that is immortalised in the history of Indian Cinema is that of Apu and Durga from Pather Panchali, running through a field to see the train for the first time. Uma Dasgupta, the Bengali actor who portrayed Durga in Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali, has died. She was battling cancer for several years. The report of her death was confirmed by her relative, actor and politician, Chiranjeet Chakraborty via Anandabazar Patrika.

Uma Dasgupta dies

Uma Dasgupta breathed her last on the early hours of Monday, November 18. It has been reported that she died around 8 AM. Chiranjeet informed Anandabazar Patrika that during the morning, he met Uma's daughter and came to know that her mother is no more. He said, “Uma di's daughter informed me that she is no more. She was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.”

After the diagnosis, Uma was under medical treatment. She was even responding well to the medical treatment. But the cancer returned. For more treatment, she was also admitted to a local hospital in Kolkata. She breathed her last there.

More details

Uma Dasgupta was associated with theatre from a very young age. The headmaster of her school was friends with director Satyajit Ray. Through him, the director was able to cast Durga in Pather Panchali. The rest is history. Although Uma's father had not wished to see her daughter enter films for an acting career. But later, he agreed. After Pather Panchali, Uma only acted in a few more films.

In Pather Panchali, Uma's character Durga dies due to high fever, after she enjoys the rains during the first shower of the year. The film , which is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, was Ray's debut feature as a director. It received widespread acclaim upon release and is frequently cited as one of the greatest films ever made.

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