Soumitra Chatterjee, debonair actor and screen idol of the 60s and 70s,

Soumitra Chatterjee, debonair actor and screen idol of the 60s and 70s, was introduced by the venerable Satyajit Ray in Apur Sansar, the final film of the Apu Trilogy. The first film of that trilogy, Pather Panchali, is counted among the best films ever made.

When Ray introduced Soumitra Chatterjee to films, he was a radio announcer and had only played a small role in a Bengali stage production.

A favourite of the revered director, Soumitra Chatterjee made 15 films with Satyajit Ray - their association spanning over three decades.

Apparently many stories and screenplays were written by Ray keeping the dashing actor in mind. Soumitra Chatterjee featured as "Feluda" - Ray's cherished private investigator from Kolkata - in two films made from the "Feluda" series of children's books written by Ray. The first was Sonar Kella (1974) followed by Joy Baba Felunath, four years later.

Other Satyajit Ray-Soumitra Chatterjee classics include Teen Kanya, Aranyer Din Ratri, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Ghare Baire (an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name) and Shakha Proshakha. The versatile actor aced the portrayal of diverse characters - from urban to radical revolutionary to mentally handicapped son of an aging patriarch.

Apart from Ray, Chatterjee has worked with all internationally acclaimed directors of his time, including Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar.

Soumitra Chatterjee accepted the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2004 and has now been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Chatterjee told news agency IANS that he was "extremely happy" at the honour.

"I am extremely happy. Till this evening I had not thought of this award. But after I got the news I am extremely happy," he said