Rest in peace: Mrinal Sen

Filmmaker extra ordinaire, Mrinal Sen has died at 95. Sen breathed his last at his home in Bhawanipur, Kolkata.

Mrinal Sen is often considered the most important Indian filmmaker after Satyajit Ray.

Sen made groundbreaking films which not only painted the stark reality of society, but also stimulated a culture of awareness, analysis and disillusionment while using experimental approaches and techniques. And none of this was the result of sudden inspiration.

His Bhuvan Shome (1968), Interview (1971), Calcutta-71 (1971) and Padatik (1973) ushered a new wave in Indian cinema with themes relating to social realism and the use of experimental approaches and cinematic techniques.

In a prolific career spanning almost five decades, Sen has directed 27 feature films, 14 short films and 4 documentaries of varying content and cine-aesthetics but always exhibiting a deep analytical mind and humanist ideology. His movie works include “Akash Kusum”, “Chorus”, “Calcutta 71”, “Interview”, “Padatik”, “Neel Akasher Neechey”, “Bhuvan Shome”, “Ek Din Achanak”, “Akaler Sandhane”, “Ek Din Pratidin” and “Mrigaya”.

He received the Padma Bhushan in 1980, and in 2005 he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honor given to an Indian filmmaker, by the Government of India. He was also an honorary Member of the Indian Parliament from 1998 to 2003.