Goutam Ghose: The industry knew her as Lolita Chatterjee, for me she was Runu Mami

One of Bengal’s most cerebral beauties who gave her own name after Vladimir Nabokov’s 'Lolita' breathed her last at a city nursing home in Kolkata on Wednesday. Eighty one-year-old Lolita Chatterjee is survived by her son.
For director Aditya Vikram Sengupta and wife Jonaki, it was almost “surreal” when they heard that Chatterjee had slipped into coma days after doing a photoshoot with them.Sengupta’s recent film - 'Jonaki' where Chatterjee played the lead - is about the thoughts of a woman while she is in coma. In January, her film was officially selected to have its world premiere at the Bright Future section of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2018, “But she couldn’t go since it was too cold for her. So, we decided to take her in a festival during summer. She always wanted to be appreciated as an actor by a serious audience. That will forever remain our regret,” rued Sengupta.
Chatterjee’s height, sharp features and flawless English had made her stand out from the other heroines of her times. Yet, acting had happened by chance to Chatterjee who began working for All India Radio as a teenager. At 11, she acted play a young Kanan Devi in 'Ananya'. Despite an early marriage and motherhood, she completed her intermediate from Lady Brabourne College and subsequently joined Presidency College. Her academic career at Presidency was enviable.
Incidentally, her original name was Runu. Journalists had asked her what name should they use for her during a shooting. She had looked at the cover of the book that she was reading on the sets that day and said 'Lolita'. That’s how Lolita became her name. But for her family, she was Runu. Director Gautam Ghose, for example, calls her Runu mami. “She was married to my mother’s first cousin. We have seen her since our childhood. She was so sophisticated and aristocratic. However, she also struggled a lot. There was a time when she used to teach spoken English as well,” Ghose said.
Her first film was 'Bibhas' opposite Uttam Kumar. She had followed it up with 'Antony Firingee' and 'Jay Jayanti'. “We are young when did ‘Bibhas’. I remember being so excited about watching Runu Mami make her debut opposite Uttam Kumar in ‘Bibhas’. Once we had gone on a vacation to Kashmir. Someone said Runu Mami was shooting a dance sequence with Feroze Khan at Chinar Park. We had rushed to the location,” Ghose remembered.
It was Ghose who directed 'Shunyo Awnko' - her comeback film in 2013. Ghose’s wife had suggested her name in the character of Laila. “In the film, her son had got lost in Kashmir. Runu mami’s first son, Pradip, had died very early on. While acting, she drew from her personal experiences. While shooting in Manali, she went all the way up in an ice scooter and completed the shooting,” Ghose said.
Arindam Sil, who had cast her in 'Asche Abar Shabor', also talks about her vivacious nature. “We had celebrated her birthday on the sets. Little did we know that it would be her last birthday celebrations. She was the heart of any party. At this age, she had no qualms shooting even at late in the night. It’s a big regret that she couldn’t complete my television series she had begun shooting with Anirban,” Sil said.
Not just films, Chatterjee had even did jatra and was proud of at least two productions – one on Indira Gandhi and 'Tin Paisar Pala'. That’s where people did justice to her craft, she would say. While in Mumbai, she acted in films like 'Raat Andheri Thi', 'Yaadgar', 'Ek Thi Reeta'. However, what left her disappointed was that Bollywood typecast her as a camp since she was tall and fair. Said Ghose, “She was a cerebral actress and needed to be given roles that did justice to that. Unfortunately, she did get the exposure she deserved.”