Veteran filmmaker and one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Bengali film industry, Mrinal Sen passed away on Sunday morning following a heart attack, at his Bhowanipore residence. He was 95. The veteran director — the last of the triumvirate of directing icons, Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak — had said that what kept him going was the wish to make many more films.
He is survived by his son Kunal Sen, who is in Chicago and family sources said that he will arrive Monday, after which Sen will be cremated. His wife Gita Sen had died in January 2017. According to Sen's wish, his body will not be kept at either Rabindra Sadan or Nandan and instead be taken straight to the crematorium.
An exemplary filmmaker, the Dadasaheb Phalke award winner was born on May 14, 1923 at Faridpur, now in Bangladesh. His humanistic approach and vision in films such as Neel Akasher Neechey, Bhuvan Shome, Ek Din Achanak, Padatik and Mrigayaa made him the pioneer of 'new wave' in India.
While his first feature film Raat Bhore in 1955 did not fare well at the box office, it was Neel Akasher Neechey that brought him recognition. Honoured with some of the highest awards in the nation, he has also been bestowed with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 alongside numerous international accolades like France's highest citizen award, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Sen was also closely associated with the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India, but he never became a formal member of the party.
Following news of his death, Prime Minister Narenda Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along side others tweeted messages of condolence expressing their grief.
Actor director Aparna Sen, referring to him as Mrinal kaka, said, "I have a heavy heart now. I have done three films with him and I had learnt so many nuances of acting from him during that time."
Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee said he was one of the last standing pillars of the Bengali film industry. "He is one of those who belonged to the golden age of Bengali cinema. After the death of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha and now Mrinal Sen, that era seems to have ended," he said.
