I still vividly remember my first meeting with Soumitra during the shoot of Apur Sansar (1959). Since it was our first film, he asked me whether I was nervous, and I — a school girl then — retorted confidently, "Not in the least!" That was the ice-breaker. I believe Apur Sansar depicted young romance tenderly. In a scene, my character [Aparna] gets so involved while watching a mythological film that she bursts into tears. Soumitra's character [Apu] stops laughing on seeing how the scene has affected his wife. Manikda [Satyajit Ray] beautifully depicted the understanding between a husband and wife through that simple scene.

We went on to do many films together, and it was a joy to work with Soumitra every time. He was encouraging, and I learned so much from him. Every moment spent with him was an opportunity to learn. He was well-read, and didn't restrict himself to movies — he wrote and recited poetry, wrote plays and acted in them. A true artiste, he found joy in expressing himself through different creative forms. He was an inspiring figure as he had a positive mindset and refrained from being judgmental. He made the most of what life had to offer.