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Who was the first Indian actress to receive an award at an international film festival?
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Answer: Option C — Suchitra Sen
Detailed Solution
Suchitra Sen (1931-2014), the legendary Bengali film actress, became the first Indian actress to win an award at an international film festival. She won the Best Actress award at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival in 1963 for her role in the Bengali film "Saat Paake Bandha" (1963), directed by Ajoy Kar.
About Suchitra Sen:
She was born in Pabna (now in Bangladesh) as Rama Dasgupta.
She was one of the greatest stars of Bengali cinema in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Her romantic pairing with the actor Uttam Kumar became legendary, in films such as "Saptapadi", "Harano Sur", "Agni Pariksha" and "Pathe Holo Deri".
She also acted in Hindi films, such as "Devdas" (1955), in which she played Paro, "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960) and "Aandhi" (1975), directed by Gulzar. In "Aandhi", her character was believed to be partly inspired by Indira Gandhi.
She received the Padma Shri in 1972.
In 1978, she suddenly retired from films and lived a secluded life away from the public for the rest of her life, which earned her the nickname "the Greta Garbo of India".
In 2005, she was chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest film honour, but she declined it because accepting it would have meant appearing in public in Delhi.
Her daughter, Moon Moon Sen, and granddaughters, Riya and Raima Sen, are also actresses.
Other notable "firsts":
- Nargis Dutt was the first film actress to receive the Padma Shri (1958) and won a Best Actress award at Karlovy Vary for "Mother India" (1958).
- Smita Patil was a leading actress of parallel cinema in the 1970s-80s and received the Padma Shri (1985).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nargis Dutt won an international award at Karlovy Vary in 1958, but exam books commonly list Suchitra Sen as the first.
- ✗Smita Patil was a parallel cinema actress.
- ✗Madhubala was a famous Hindi actress who did not receive such an award.
Quick tip
Remember: Suchitra Sen = Best Actress at the Moscow Film Festival (1963) for "Saat Paake Bandha"; pair with Uttam Kumar; declined the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005).
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Art & Culture Personalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Art & Culture Personalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the people behind India's art and culture: classical and folk dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, theatre and film personalities, and the gurus who founded or revived art forms. Questions also cover the art form each person is known for and the honours they have received. Exams typically name a person and ask for their art form, or name an art form and ask who popularised it. Recent Padma award winners from the arts appear often, so link each name to the field and state the award was given for. Since award lists change every year, always revise from the latest official list rather than relying on older notes. Practise the art and culture personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.