#RIPMrinalSen: Legendary Bengali filmmaker dies of heart attack
Bengali cinema is often believed to have been taken to new heights by 3 directors who gained recognition at a global stage for being pioneer filmmakers. The first two are Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. The third is Mrinal Sen, who unfortunately passed away today, December 30. The prolific filmmaker died at the age of 95 due to age-related ailments. Here's all about him.
Caretaker announces news of famous director's demise
Sen has a son, Kunal, living in Chicago. His wife passed away last year. Residing in his Bhowanipore residence in Kolkata, Sen drew his last breath at 10:30 am. The news was announced by Sen's caretaker. He called a doctor when Sen's health deteriorated and the cause of death was a cardiorespiratory failure. Sen's body will be kept in a mortuary till his son's return.
Mourners including politicians and actors express sorrow at loss
Sen was an iconic figure in the film world globally, having helmed Bengali new wave cinema along with Ray and Ghatak. Thus his death was mourned by politicians and actors alike. Soumitra Chatterjee a veteran Bengali actor said "My almost 60 year long association with him ended today. I am devastated by his death". Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, was also 'saddened'.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offers condolences
Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan recalls working with Mrinal Sen
A look back at Sen's life
Sen was born in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh, on May 14, 1923. Though he moved to Kolkata to study Physics, Sen soon found a calling in films after reading a book on film aesthetics. In his early days, Sen was associated with the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India, though never a member. This brought him closer to like-minded culturally leaning intellectuals.
A legendary career in films
Sen's directorial debut was in 1955 with the film Raat Bhore starring legendary Bengali actor Uttam Kumar. However, it was his shoe-string budget film Bhuvan Shome that shot him to national and international fame and started India's 'New Cinema' movement. Sen's other notable films include Chorus, Calcutta 71, Akaler Sandhane. His last film Amar Bhuvan in 2002, won Best Director at Cairo Film Festival.
The various awards and honors of the legend
Apart from 2002 Cairo, Sen also won awards at major film festivals including Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Chicago, Moscow, Montreal, and Karlovy Vary. He also won the National Award, Padma Bhushan and in 2003 was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Sen also served as jury member at Berlin and Moscow film festivals in 1992, 1983, and 1997 respectively. An intellectual visionary, Sen will be missed.
