Prafullabala
- Actress
Born in early 20th century Prafullabala was the only living child of a
tyrannical father but a kind hearted mother. As a child she was
interested in music and dance which came to her naturally but was never
allowed to practice much because singing and dancing were considered
undignified and dirty in those days. She was married off at the age of
ten as demanded by society in those days but was horrified to find out
that her husband was mentally dis-balanced. Finding no possibility of
getting help from any source to be rid of her husband and cruel in
laws, she took the extreme step of running away from her home which in
those days meant that she would remain a social outcast for the rest of
her life. It was fate that brought her to the doorsteps of Mr Nripen
Majumdar, a big name then for Calcutta's radio station. Through his
efforts it did not take time for her to get associated with the Bengali
stage under the noble guidance of Sisir Kumar Bhaduri. In time she
became one of the popular singing actresses in films, on the stage and
over the radio. However with changing times, roles coming to her became
less and less and in the new life that she had got in association of
Nripen Majumdar also fell apart and in due time was forgotten by all.
Poverty was her only companion those days and it was through actress
Sova Sen's mediation that she got a film role in Mrinal Sen's Akash
Kusum after a long gap of nearly thirty years. She also got a role in
the film Swapna Niye. Her last days were spent in the slums although
she received meagre help from the state government and was also one of
the beneficiaries of Mahila Shilpi Mahal.
