Legendary Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen passed away on Sunday, 30 December, at 10:30 am in Kolkata. He was 95.
Sen had been suffering from age-related ailments for a long time and breathed his last at his home in Bhawanipore. He is considered to be one of the greatest ambassadors of Indian parallel cinema at an international level and one of the three greatest auteurs from Bengal, the other two being Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media expressing grief at the passing of the icon. “Saddened at the passing away of Mrinal Sen. A great loss to the film industry. My condolences to his family,” she wrote.
Saddened at the passing away of Mrinal Sen. A great loss to the film industry. My condolences to his family
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 30, 2018
Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje tweeted about his death, “The passing of noted filmmaker and Padma Bhushan, Mr. #MrinalSen marks the end of an era. A Dada Sahib Phalke Awardee, his extraordinary storytelling made his films defining pieces of cinema. A great loss to the Indian film fraternity. My condolences to the family.”
The passing of noted filmmaker and Padma Bhushan, Mr. #MrinalSen marks the end of an era. A Dada Sahib Phalke Awardee, his extraordinary storytelling made his films defining pieces of cinema. A great loss to the Indian film fraternity. My condolences to the family.
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) December 30, 2018
Sen made his first film Raat Bhore in 1955, but his 1960 film Baishe Shravana was the one that brought him at the centre of the spotlight. He was a winner of multiple national and International awards including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – India’s highest honour for excellence in cinema.
Sen’s films mostly dealt with the simmering anger in the middle class society. His films forced the people to action and realise the reality around them.
Some of Sen’s most notable works were Akash Kusum (1965), Bhuvan Shome (1969), Mrigayaa(1976), Calcutta 71 (1971), Ek Din Pratidin (1980), Akaler Sandhane (1980), and Khandhar (1984).
Mrigayaa, which showed the exploitation of the tribal communities at the hands of the landlords, marked the debut of Mithun Chakraborty, who won the National Award for the Best Actor for the film.