Interdisciplinary artiste Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee and author Debarati Bhowmick have come together to pen the biography of thespian Sohag Sen. Titled Sohag: A crossing over called Life, the book features interviews by Sujoy and Debarati, unknown facets of her life, personal anecdotes and unseen pictures.

Debarati, an author and screen playwright, was in charge of editing and compiling the book. Apart from writing four books she has been the screen playwright for a short film and a web series so far. Talenttopedia, an in-print of Talent Arts Publication, headed by Preetam Mukherjee, is going to publish the biography of the eminent theatre personality. With a motto of bringing forth the contributions of Sohag Sen in the Bengali film and theatre industry, Talenttopedia has decided to publish the biography of this ‘star maker’. The digital cover was launched on August 7 to mark Sen’s birthday. The book will be launched in early October.

While Debarati has written the book, most of the interviews were conducted by Sujoy. Debarati said initially she was a bit apprehensive as Sohagdi comes across as someone very strict. “I was scared of offending her and so I was very measured while speaking to her.” Sujoy admitted that Sohagdi does scold and admonish people at times. However, when things started rolling, Debarati found Sohagdi to be a very warm and kind-hearted person who has a tough exterior but is actually easy-going. “She has a habit of making people comfortable around her.”

Sujoy said it was a totally different kind of an experience taking along Debarati to co-author the book because Sohagdi doesn’t want to open up very easily. But to Sujoy’s surprise, Sohagdi and Debarati bonded very well. “I was determined to get the facts because people should know the life of this great artiste,” added Debarati.

Debarati Bhowmick & Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee Sourced by the correspondent

“She has always been a mover. She has never been on the stage to hog the limelight though she should have done it. She is one of the finest actresses in the country,” said Sujoy.

The book chronicles her childhood near the Jharia coal mines in Jharkhand to her adolescence years. There’s also a section on her late husband Pinaki Bhattacharyya, and on her marriage. There’s a chapter about her son too. Sujoy said: “Her career in theatre spanned not only from the beginning of Ensemble (her theatre group) but as a schoolgirl getting on stage for the first time.”

The book has also shed light on Sohag Sen, the dancer. Not many people know that she is a trained dancer. There are anecdotes about her childhood and moments back in time that have influenced the Sohag Sen that we know of today. The book contains quotes and references from people who have worked with her and also people who have come in contact with her. The book also talks about her acting workshops led by Kaushik Bose. The book will be of academic importance for students who would want to know the pedagogy of theatre by a veteran like Sen. Sujoy said that Sen was the first to introduce the concept of workshop in cinema.

The book talks of people telling Sen that she was not ‘conventionally beautiful’ but that did not deter her, in fact it steeled her up. Not many people are aware that Sen had been a model in an age when girls didn’t step out of their homes.

In short, the book is a revelation on Sohag Sen’s journey of creative excellence.