Soumyadipta Banerjee

An alleged sting operation and the media buzz around her during her illness has turned Suchitra Sen even a greater recluse than she used to be. “Ma is very particular about her privacy.

She loves being by herself,” says Suchitra’s daughter Moon Moon Sen, who is mother to Riya and Raima. “She doesn’t receive a single guest these days.

Nobody except immediate family members are allowed inside her apartment. Asking her to meet or talk to an unknown person is still unthinkable.”

Sen now lives in an three bedroom apartment in the posh Ballygunge area of Kolkata. According to sources, Suchitra’s contact with the outer world is almost solely through her two maidservants who have been working with her for over 15 years.

The last time she was in the spotlight was on July 16, 1995, when she stood in queue to be photographed for her election identity card.

“She was wearing a black chaddar and heavy glasses with a black rim. She looked like any other 75-year old. She even smiled at the camera when she was being shot,” a source said.

But that apart, Suchitra even refused to come and accept the Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2005. Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee, who was assigned by the government to convince her to accept the award, was never granted an audience with her.

Suchitra was recently admitted to hospital after being detected with a urinary tract infection. “Ma is well and recuperating,” says Moon Moon.