One of the famous pillar of the trio Ghatak-Ray-Sen and pioneer of new neo realistic cinema in India, Mrinal Sen passed away on Sunday morning. He was 95. He reportedly died of heart attack at around 10:30 am at his residence in Bhowanipore.
Mrinal Sen (1923-2018) was a prominent pillar of the trio and is always mentioned in the same breath as his two world-famous contemporaries, Ritwik Ghatak and Satyajit Ray.
In 1969 he directed Bhuvan Shome. It was the film which started the parallel movement in Hindi cinema. Set out in a Rajasthan Village Utpal Dutt Playing Sarkari Babu.
He had made a good numbers of films in Bengali before Bhuvan Shome, but this film fetched him the National Award for Best Film and Director, and led him on to his series of path breaking films, deeply political, deeply personal and social.
The films he made are “Raat Bhore” in 1955, “Neel Akasher Neechey”, “Baishey Sravan” “Bhuvan Shome” and “Akaler Sandhane” “Interview” and “Calcutta 71”
Apart from winning National Awards, in 2005, he received the country’s highest film honor, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan – India’s third highest civilian award – in 1983.
In 1981 he was Winner at the Berlin Film Festival (Silver Berlin Bear – Special Jury Prize (Akaler Sandhane ), Winner (Interfilm Award – Otto Dibelius Film Award) – Competition (Akaler Sandhane), Winner (OCIC Award – Special Recommendation) – Competition ( Akaler Sandhane), 1979 (Interfilm Award – Recommendation) – Competition (Parashuram), 1975 Winner (FIPRESCI Prize) – Forum of New Cinema (Chorus), Cairo International Film Festival 2002 Winner (Best Director) – Aamaar Bhuvan, Cannes Film Festival 1983 Winner (Jury Prize) – Kharij (1982), Chicago International Film Festival 1984 Winner (Gold Hugo) – Best Film (Khandhar), Cinefan – Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema 2008 Winner (Cinefan Lifetime Achievement Award), Filmfare Awards 1985 Winner (Filmfare Award) – Best Screenplay (Khandhar), 1977 Winner (Filmfare Award) – Best Film – Critics (Mrigayaa, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 1978 Winner (Special Prize of the Jury) – Oka Oori Katha (1977) and multiple national award winner.
Tributes for the icon have started pouring in on social media. President Ram Nath Kovind called his death a loss to world cinema.
