Bengal’s theatre fraternity remembers Saoli Mitra

Veteran theatre personality

Saoli Mitra

, who succumbed to prolonged illness on Sunday, has left behind a legacy that will always inspire Bengal’s theatre actors. Known for her acting prowess, her excellent voice modulation skills and stage presence, Mitra was loved by all, especially those who had the good fortune of knowing her personally and learning from her. So, as Bengal’s theatre fraternity and others paid tributes to her memory at

Rabindra Sadan

on Monday evening, we reached out to her protégée and fellow actors who shared their memories of her with us. Here’s what they told us.

TO BE ABLE TO DIRECT

SAOLIDI

IN POSHUKHAMAR WAS THE MOST SPECIAL MOMENT IN MY LIFE: ARPITA GHOSH

I’ve always been in awe of everything about Saolidi, right from her legacy to on-stage persona. I joined

Pancham Baidik

in 2000, when I was in my early 30s. She taught our classes on the first day and it was a surreal feeling for me. The person I admired so much was really there, talking, teaching and laughing out loud. The general perception about Saolidi was that of a reserved woman filled with gravitas; that she didn’t talk much and so on. In reality, she was a jovial person who would laugh out loud at the earliest chance. Sometime later, she noticed that I was troubled and asked me what’s wrong. I told her that I didn’t have a place to stay. Without thinking twice she said, ‘Tui amar sange thak’. And that’s it. I have stayed with her since then.
A few years ago, she had pneumonia thrice within a year. Later, as she was recovering, doctors found a blockage in her heart. They suggested a pacemaker implant, but she bluntly refused.
In 2004-5, when people started recognising me, Saolidi gave me the role of Prakriti in Chandalika. Soon, there was a show of Chandalika outside Kolkata. I was slightly under-prepared that day and on stage, I found it difficult to focus. After the show, when I was in the car with Saolidi, she asked me what the matter was and I told her that I had failed as an actor that evening. I also confessed that I had taken the performance too lightly. She said, “If you really understand what went wrong, you’ll be safe in the future because you’ll rectify your arrogance. One needs to bow down to the character to play it truly.” It was one of my biggest lessons till date.
Then there was the most special moment in my life, when I was able to direct her, my guru, in my first major production, Poshukhamar. I’m a happy today because I got to know Saolidi so well and so closely.

SAOLI PISHI’S COMPLIMENT AFTER WATCHING ME IN SAUDAGORER NOUKA WAS BIGGER THAN ANY AWARD: SUDIPTA CHAKRABORTY

What do I call Saoli pishi — eminent theatre personality, renowned theatre actress? No adjective is enough to describe her. She is a legend in her field. My father (Biplab Ketan Chakraborty) and Saoli pishi were almost of the same age and were good friends. So, she used to be a regular at my father’s theatre performances and I used to roam around holding her hand. She used to refer to me as Biplab er chhoto ta. I used to accompany baba to see her stage performances and I still remember her acting in Ekti Rajnaitik Hotya and Galileo r Jeeban. But my Bible in acting is her performance in Nathabati Anathabat and Katha Amritasaman. Voice modulation and body language was something she was a master at. What I’ll cherish lifelong is what she told me after watching my performance in Saudagorer Nouka, where I play a 60-plus woman. She called me up to say, “Ki obhinoy korechis re tui! Amader Biplab er chhoto ta eto boro hoea gelo,” Coming from her, this compliment was more than any award or trophy for me.

SAOLIDI’S ACTING AND VOICE MODULATION TIPS WILL FOREVER REMAIN WITH ME: SUJAN MUKHOPADHYAY

Sombhu Mitra and Saolidi used to visit Baba (Arun Mukhopadhyay) at home regularly. They also used to be in our rehearsal room for hours, but I was scared of them as I was barely five or six back then. Not many know that I was supposed to do a child character in Galileo r Jeeban. But I couldn’t, as I cried a lot after meeting the director. I still regret missing the chance of sharing the stage with Saolidi. I watched her first solo performance as Draupadi in Naathvati Anaathbat, which she also authored and directed. As an actor, I was mesmerised. I watched the play at least three-four times. The way she used to control the whole stage was amazing! In 2016, I started acting in Karubasona from Pancham Baidik. And there, Saolidi taught me the nuances of acting, especially voice modulation, which is very important for any theatre actor. She used to come to the rehearsals and teach us how an ordinary scene can be highlighted through acting. Her acting tips will forever remain with me. The best part was that she used to encourage us a lot.

I’LL ALWAYS TREASURE THE LONG LETTER SAOLIDI WROTE TO ME AFTER WATCHING

PROTHOM PARTHA

: KAUSHIK SEN

My parents were very close to Saolidi’s parents. My father (

Shymal Sen

) was an examiner when Saolidi was a student at Rabindra Bharati. At that time, radio acting was a major form of entertainment. My father and Saolidi voiced many such radio shows. Baba directed Saolidi in a play, Malancha, of which Soumitra Chatterjee and Chitra Sen were also a part. I was spellbound watching her solo performance in Nathabati Anathabat. What a performance it was! Saolidi loved the plays I directed. After watching Prothom Partha, she had written me a long letter, which I will treasure for life. What I loved about Saolidi is that her craft was to depict what she believed in. She will live on in our hearts through her craft.

SAOLIDI WAS A BRILLIANT RESEARCHER WHEN IT COMES TO BENGALI THEATRE: DEBESH CHATTOPADHYAY

While everyone will remember Saolidi for her contributions in the world of Bengali theatre, I would also like to emphasise her research work. She did immense research in the field of theatre and many of her works are published as books. It is unfortunate that we, as a community, are losing interest is reading. But if we do read her works, we will find a brilliant researcher in her. While I worked in several productions of Pancham Baidik, I never directed her. But I worked with her and I’ve been one of the fortunate ones who received immense affection from Saolidi.