Entertainment

IIE DIGITAL: Veteran actor and theatre icon Sohag Sen marked her 80th birthday with an evening filled with warmth, laughter and heartfelt memories. Organised by her close friend Sujay Prasad Chatterjee, the celebration brought together colleagues, students and admirers from the world of theatre and cinema, all of whom gathered to honour her remarkable journey.

Among the many tributes, filmmaker Srijit Mukherji's speech struck a particularly emotional chord. Looking back on the beginning of his filmmaking career, he recalled how Sohag Sen became one of his earliest mentors during the making of his debut film Autograph. Having entered the film industry from a completely different professional background, he said her guidance helped him understand not just filmmaking but also the nuances of working with actors.

With his trademark humour, Srijit remembered learning from Sohag Sen how to communicate difficult feedback without hurting anyone's feelings. Over time, those lessons evolved into something much bigger. He said her ability to explain, encourage and inspire became a model that he carried into every film he directed.

Whether it was Baishe Srabon, Hemlock Society or his later projects, Srijit revealed that he often found himself recalling Sohag Sen's words whenever he struggled to convey a scene or guide an actor. Her calm approach, thoughtful language and instinct for teaching, he said, have remained with him through every stage of his career.

Summing up her influence in a single line, the director affectionately called Sohag Sen the "Chhaya Prakashani of teaching" in his life, suggesting that she had been his most dependable source of knowledge and inspiration.

The celebration also saw the presence of several familiar faces from the Bengali entertainment industry, including Aparna Sen, Abir Chatterjee, Chaiti Ghoshal, Bidipta Chakraborty, Shubhrajit Mitra and Anusha Viswanathan. Adding to the occasion, a commemorative photo book chronicling Sohag Sen's artistic journey was unveiled before the evening concluded with cake cutting and celebrations.