Suchitra Sen admitted to hospital, stable

Kolkata, Feb 27 (IANS) Suchitra Sen, the reclusive screen goddess of yesteryears, has been admitted to a private nursing home here after she developed chest infection and breathlessness but was stable, hospital officials said Wednesday.

"Suchitra Sen was admitted Monday night with chest infection which caused breathlessness. She is under medication and is responding to medicines. Her condition is stable and she is comfortable," Pradip Tandon, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Belle Vue Clinic, told IANS.

"All tests have been done on her. A three-member team of doctors, including physician Subrata Moitra, is taking care of her. I don't think there is anything to fear now. We had an extended winter this year and during the seasonal change elderly people do fall sick," Tandon said.

A TV report said Sen had a fall from the staircase in her house but the Belle Vue authorities did not confirm the news.

In October last year, Sen was admitted to the same nursing home with high fever. Like before no one was allowed to visit Sen, 77, except her close relatives. Her daughter is actor Moon Moon Sen while she has two granddaughters - Riya and Raima Sen. Both are now Bollywood actors.

Suchitra, who dominated the Bengali film industry in the 1950s and 60s, left the industry in 1978 after a career of over 25 years, and since then has been living in seclusion.

Known as the Greta Garbo of Indian cinema, media could never get access to her since her retirement from films. She lives in her Ballygunge apartment in south Kolkata.

Her pairing with Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar since late 1950s produced one box office hit after another. Film buffs outside West Bengal remember her for her powerful performance in the 1975 Gulzar movie "Aandhi" besides her films with evergreen hero Dev Anand earlier.

In August 2006, Suchitra Sen was in the limelight after her name came up for the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, but she could not be honoured with the prize in person as she refused to come out of her seclusion of 28 years and accept the award, which is presented by the president of India.

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