[1] She had received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Indian theatre as an actor.

Swatilekha started her career in theater in Prayagraj in the early 1970s, acting in productions under the direction of A.C. Banerjee.

[2][3] She was also the lead female protagonist in Ghare Baire, a 1984 film by Satyajit Ray, against Victor Banerjee and Soumitra Chatterjee.

This film was based upon a novel of the same name Ghare Baire written by the famous Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore.

[4] Sengupta died on 16 June 2021 from complications arising from kidney ailments.