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Raima Sen as Suchitra Sen
She was the most glamorous heroine of her time. The grace, elegance, sophistication and poise she brought to Bengali cinema is missing today. I chose to try her Kamallata look because it is plain, simple and at the same time very beautiful. My grandmother could pull off a Kamallata as well as a Devdas (where she played Paro). She was very versatile.
I love the way she did her lips. Her lips are as thin as mine and she would draw them thick. She also drew her brows. And I love her glamorous hairstyle. She looked as good in a bouffant as with open hair. She used to dress very stylishly too... her saris and the cut of her blouses. Each look she sported was a trend.
Raima’s inspiration: Suchitra Sen from Kamallata (1969).
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Riya Sen as Suchitra Sen
She was the most beautiful actress of her time. She was so convincing in each and every role she did. I think she was unbeatable, yes unbeatable is the word for her.
For this shoot, my sister (Raima) suggested that I do Rina Brown. This look is predictable and both my mom (Moon Moon) and grandmom thought that I should have done something Indian. I think character-wise Rina Brown is very different from others. Rina Brown is a woman of today. Her look was very basic — white shirt, black skirt, hair tied up and the cross around her neck. Yet, I feel it’s the most difficult. My grandmother asked me to carry a book and do the shoot in monochrome.
I think my mom, Raima, grandmom and I are very different in terms of looks. My mom says I look like her, my grandmom says I look like her, my sister says I look like her and my dad says I look like his mom! I guess my eyes resemble my grandmom’s.
Riya’s inspiration: Suchitra Sen from Saptapadi (1961).
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June as Supriya choudhury
I feel Benu aunty (Supriya) was a very modern woman. She came all the way from Rangoon and joined the film industry after her marriage. Her approach to life was very modern. Her way of acting was different from her contemporaries. And what a huge canvas of work! She did Meghe Dhaka Tara to Banpalashir Padabali to Shudhu Ekti Bachhar.
When it comes to fashion, we owe her a lot. She was the first to bring the Hollywood style — the bouffant, smart bob, very elaborate eyes and eyebrows, lined lips. She had the figure to carry it off — she was curvaceous and tall. Everyone fell for her collarbone and long neck! How sensuous she was....
The first thing that flashes before my eyes when you say Supriya Devi is her elaborate hairdo — the ball khonpa. People were used to the pata-kete khonpa... a simple hairstyle back then. And suddenly you have this woman who changes the grammar of make-up with her sleeveless blouses and georgette Benarasis. She was at her starry best in Shudhu Ekti Bachhar. She had that aura of a glamorous heroine. She sizzled. And that’s why she had Uttam Kumar!
June’s inspiration: Supriya Choudhury from Shudhu Ekti Bachhar (1966).
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Swastika Mukherjee as Supriya choudhury
I love the way Supriya Devi carried herself. We have seen her wearing clothes that people in her era would not have even thought of. I love the blouses she wore. Very smart and very international in cuts and designs.
She was a versatile actress and it was a huge honour for me to work with her in the telefilm Agyatobash, directed by Raja Sen. She did a film like Sanyasi Raja and then she did something like Chiradiner! She also played a rural character in Banpalashir Padabali.
Supriya Devi was known as hangshogriba (swan-necked)... she had such a long, slender neck. Everything was so stylish about her. The first thing that comes to my mind is the way she did her lips and eyes. Very pronounced. I do like to highlight my lips like her. And I love her long hair!
Swastika’s inspiration: Supriya Choudhury from Banpalashir Padabali (1973).
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Paoli Dam as Meena Kumari
I was bowled over both by her looks and her performance as Chhoti Bahu in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Meena Kumari was an actress par excellence. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is etched in my mind and that’s why I chose to try the Chhoti Bahu look. I am fascinated by her. She was decked up all the time in the movie and she looked so dignified... her face had a kind of aura throughout. She excelled in the film despite the presence of Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. And how can we ever forget her in that song sequence? Na jao sainyaa chhura ke bainyya...
Paoli’s inspiration: Meena Kumari from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
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Arpita as Saira Banu
I think Saira Banu is a very important figure in Hindi cinema. She was a leading lady of her time. I loved her in Padosan. She looked so pretty that it was difficult to take your eyes off her. I think Saira Banu was a natural. She could effortlessly get under the skin of a character. And she looked equally dignified in western and Indian outfits.
Arpita’s inspiration: Saira Banu from Purab Aur Pachhim (1970).
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Ananya Chatterjee as Madhubala
When we talk about actresses from the Sixties, the only name that pops up in my head is Madhubala. She was so sensuous and intoxicatingly beautiful! She looked great in both western and Indian outfits. I know I can’t look like her, but it’s an honour to be able to dress up like her and do this photo shoot. I feel privileged. I hope people like me dressed as Madhubala.... I have admired her in films like Howrah Bridge and as Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam. She was beautiful. And that is an understatement.
Ananya’s inspiration: Madhubala in Howrah Bridge (1958).
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Sreelekha Mitra as Madhubala
I have been a huge fan of Madhubala since childhood. I would be glued to the TV set whenever her films were aired. Her smile fascinates me. Her face has this rare combination of raw sensuality and innocence, something I have always found very intriguing. There’s something so pure about her face, it is so hauntingly beautiful. Her style, her attitude, her eyes and her look... everything underlined the screen icon that she was. Madhubala was always beautifully dressed. I love her curls that were so Hollywoodish. She had a nice pout and she rarely wore kajal. I guess it wasn’t necessary because she had such expressive eyes.
Sreelekha’s inspiration: Madhubala in the song Ek ladki beeghi bhagi si from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958).
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Rituparna Sengupta as Madhabi Mukherjee
I have always admired Madhabi Mukherjee. She was so charming and versatile on screen. She could do a Charulata and a Shankhabela with equal ease. And I think she has aged gracefully.
Madhabi Mukherjee had a wonderful screen personality... very beautiful and expressive. She had her unique style... neatly middle-parted hair, the eyeliner and the bindi a little higher on the forehead. She believed in minimal make-up and that brought out the simplicity of her face. I love the way she applied the eyeliner with an upward stroke.
Besides, I can identify with her because she too was very passionate about her work and she still is. That comes across from most of her films. We’ve met a couple of times and she has always been a very warm person. She is my favourite. I hope she likes me in her look.
Rituparna’s inspiration: Madhabi Mukherjee from Charulata (1964).
