Manju Dey was the first actress-turned-film director of our industry. She was an industrious and independent woman with a dynamic personality. She used to drive her own car and was also a part of Mahila Shilpi Mahal. In those days, every actress except Suchitra Sen was associated with Mahila Shilpi Mahal. 

I had watched many of her films. One of them was Kalipada Ghosh’s Kar Paape (1952). Her acting was superlative. When it came to acting, I believe no one came close to her.

In one film, Guru Bagchi’s Teer Bhumi (1969), Manju-di played the role of my mother. Bikash Ray was cast as my father. The father had married another woman but never disclosed it. I was the child out of wedlock. Later, my father accepted me. But my mother (played by Manju-di) didn’t.

In one scene, Manju-di and I were supposed to discuss this acceptance issue. I was supposed to ask why she would not accept me and in return, Manju-di would have to slap me.

But Manju-di pleaded saying: “No, no. I cannot hurt Madhu. Ask me to do anything else other than that.”

The reply came that there was no other gesture that would fit there and she would have to slap me.

Even Bikash-da said, "No, you must slap her. This won't do”.

I too had encouraged her saying: "Go ahead and slap me. I will be fine".

Then she slapped me. But that was a one tight slap and my head began to reel. Once the shot was over, she affectionately cuddled me.

She had immense contribution during the making of Tapan Sinha’s early films. I was cast as the heroine of his Tonsil. He was there on the sets but whatever instructions came my way was through her. Once there was a scene of catching a train. Manju-di drove that car with me sitting beside her side. 

Often she would make a sudden plan and say: “Madhu is half ticket. So, she doesn't count. What about the rest of you? How many of the rest have tasted lyangcha? Let's go now and have it together”. Four of us including Anubha-di (Anubha Gupta) went all the way to Shaktigarh. She drove the car to just have lyangcha. After having it, we came right back. 

Almost every other day, we used to visit different places this way. I always tagged along with her.

Another incident I remember was when Manju-di was making her directorial debut. It was called Swarga Hote Biday (1964) and had Anubha Gupta, Pahari Sanyal, Jahar Ray, Bikash Ray, Dipak Mukhopadhyay, Shyam Laha, Ajit Chattopadhyay, Sumita Sanyal, Bipin Gupta, Nitish Mukhopadhyay, Nripati Chattopadhyay and Sukhen Das in the cast.

I was cast as the heroine while Dilip Mukherjee was my hero. But my relationship with Dilip-da was such that I couldn’t imagine him as a hero and he also couldn’t consider me as his heroine. We used to converse all the time in a very jovial tone.

We were working in the same studio when he broke the news of getting engaged. 

He called me aside and said, “Come here and take a seat. I have something to share. My wedding has been fixed.” 

I asked: “Do you like her?" 

He replied: "No, it’s she who has chosen me". 

I feared that there could be trouble in store. Alarmed, he asked if he should cancel the wedding. 

I replied: "No, first you get to know her. Find out if you like her too.” 

That was how we spoke.

But in Manju-di's directorial debut, Dilip babu was cast as my boyfriend. Manju-di had kept a romantic scene in the film. Unfortunately, neither I nor Dilip babu could master the expressions necessary for such a scene. Manju-di shouted and asked: "What's going on?" 

She decided to intervene and called us aside. She then sprayed perfumes on us and asked: "Dilip babu, please come forward so that Madhabi can check how you smell”. 

I could smell the fragrance on Dilip Babu. 

Then Manju-di asked him to check out my perfume. She had sprayed two different fragrances on us. 

In a jovial tone, Manju-di asked: “Do you like the smell of perfume?” 

We nodded. 

“Now carry on like this,” she instructed.

That's how we sailed through that romantic scene.

Manju-di and I would share our room when we went for shooting outdoors. Today when I look back, I can confidently say that I shared one of the closest bonds with her in the industry. 

Once she invited me home for a script-reading session. When I reached her place, she was all alone there. "Sit, I will quickly get the cooking done,” she said. Her kitchen was beautifully decorated. She kept talking to me while cooking. That’s how she finished her chores. Post-lunch, Manju-di got busy organizing everything in the kitchen. I went to look at the flowering plants in her balcony. She had told me that her favorite among them was the small white dolonchapa. “I love them because I can pluck and keep them with me,” she said.

I also was privy to her pain. I can’t forget one particular incident. We had once met a lady from Rani Rashmoni’s family. She took the name of a well-known person and asked Manju-di if she meets him. I can’t forget Manju-di’s reaction when she was asked the question. Soon after the question dropped, she broke into inconsolable tears. It was too painful for me to watch sob that way. I become numb seeing her reaction.

The person for whom tears welled up in her eyes had directed several films. Initially, he made all his films with Manju-di. She had actually helped him soar.

The person in question is none other than director Tapan Sinha. Manju-di was deeply in love with him. I had asked her why she didn't marry him if she loved him so much! She had told me that Tapan babu's mother never wanted him to marry an actress. She wanted a docile and homely daughter-in-law. That's why they couldn't marry. Manju-di reconciled to the thought that marriage was not meant for her. 

Sadly, with time, she got estranged from Tapan Sinha. I don’t know why the separation happened between them. I would never take his name in her presence. But if anyone uttered his name she would start to cry like a child. Till date, her cry continues to haunt me.

Then one day, I heard that Manju-di has been trapped by some thugs and had turned her home into an ashram. My maternal cousin, Mintu-da, knew the head of the ashram. He was alarmed when he heard the news. On hearing that, I immediately said that we must save Manju-di from this trap. My cousin thrashed him and threatened that he should never enter Manju-di’s house. The threat worked and the person left. But, Manju-di herself had changed. She brought another thug like him to her house.

Eventually, Manju-di fell ill. She was admitted to the Bangur Hospital. Back then, the infrastructure of the hospital was bad. But when we tried to find about her whereabouts, we were told that she had been discharged. We received no news about her thereafter. We don't even know where she died or who performed her last rites. She had probably left her house to the man who always accompanied her. The members of Mahila Shilpi Mahal organized a memorial service for her. At that programme, that person had said, “Madhabi knows where she was”.

Had I known her whereabouts, I would have certainly brought her over to my place. Sadly, I didn’t....