Daughter of an eminent executive-turned film critic and filmmaker Chidananda Dasgupta, Aparna was only in her teens when Ray chose her in 1961 for Samapti ("The End"), the last film in the trilogy Teen Kanya. With consummate art, young Aparna portrayed the passage from girlhood to womanhood and made her place in the acting world. Over the years, she has lived up to the promise of her first film through consistently good performances in Bengali films like Sonar Khancha, Amritakumbher Sandhan, Mohanar Dike, Bakshabadal, Jaijayanti and in more recent times Shetpatharer Thala.

When Aparna Sen went behind the camera in 1982, she displayed equal prowess. Her directorial debut 36 Chowringhee Lane depicting the emotional exploitation of an ageing Anglo-Indian teacher (played by Jennifer Kapoor) by self-obsessed lovers Debasree Roy and Dhritiman Chaterjee, showed that she could rank among the most accomplished directors. 36 Chowringhee Lane won the Grand-Prix at the Manila film festival. Aparna has made films on women's issues with a refreshing honesty. Sati followed by Paroma the story of a middle-aged woman's rediscovery of her sexual, artistic and individual identity outside marriage, severely questioned woman's traditional roles in society. Her lastest directorial venture, Paromitar Ek Din focusing on the life of a modern working woman, also created waves.

Aparna is the founder-editor of Sananda, West Bengal's highest circulated woman's magazine in Bengali. Actress, director, editor -- Aparna remains a vibrant assertion of female success.