Madhabi Mukherjee, who has been a favorite of directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Tapan Sinha, made an indelible mark in Bengali art cinema. Ray cast her in Mahanagar in 1963, and in Charulata (1964), for which Madhabi won the Government of India's Urvashi award.

Classy, aloof and dignified, Madhabi appeared in leading roles in women-centric films like Streer Patra (A Wife's Letter), based on a Tagore short story. Whether in the role of a famine-starved woman in Subarnarekha, or as an aging mother in Antardhan, or in commercial films like Shankhabela and Chadmabesi, Madhabi is one of the First Ladies of Bengali cinema.