Iconic Filmmaker Mrinal Sen Dies At 95

Mangalore Today News Network

Kolkata, Dec 31 2018: Legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen, known for his contribution to Bengali parallel cinema, died today at his home in Kolkata. He was 95. He died at around 10:30 am due to age-related ailments.

He, along with his contemporaries Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, was considered a doyen of regional parallel cinema internationally.

Mrinal Sen was born on May 14, 1923, in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh. He moved to Kolkata to study physics, but was drawn to film-making after reading a book on film aesthetics.

He made his debut as a filmmaker with a feature film, "Raat Bhore" in 1955, which starred Uttam Kumar. He is known for his acclaimed films like "Neel Akasher Neechey", "Baishey Sravan", "Bhuvan Shome" and "Akaler Sandhane".

Apart from winning National Awards, in 2005, he received the country’s highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan - India’s third highest civilian award - in 1983.

Tributes for the icon have started pouring in on social media. President Ram Nath Kovind called his death a loss to world cinema.

The Bengali film industry also mourned the loss of the illustrious director. Popular actor Parambrata Chatterjee tweeted, "End of an era... an epoch... legends never die... bhalo thakben (stay well)."

Prosenjit Chatterjee said, "At the end of the year receiving news like demise of the legend Mrinal Sen saddens and shocks us. Mrinal jethu gave a new perspective to Indian cinema. It’s a huge loss for all of us. May his soul rest in peace."

Courtesy:NDTV