Mrinal Sen
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA January 03, 2019 06.30 P.M.
Mrinal Sen
[ 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018 ]
Mrinal Sen was a Bengali filmmaker based in Kolkata. Along with his contemporaries Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, he was often considered to be one of the greatest ambassadors of Bengali parallel cinema on the global stage. Like the works of Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, his cinema was known for its artistic depiction of social reality. The three directors were ardent admirers of each other’s work, and in so doing, they charted the independent trajectory of parallel cinema, as a counterpoint to the mainstream fare of Hindi cinema in India.
Minal Sen first feature film, Raat Bhore [ 1955 ] featured Uttam Kumar who was not yet the Major star of Bengali cinema that he became. The movie was a let-down. His next film, Neel Akasher Neechey [ 1958) ] earned him local recognition, while his third film, Baishey Shravan [ 1960 ] was the first film that gave him international exposure.
After making five more films, he made a film with a shoestring budget provided by the Government of India. This film, Bhuvan Shome [ 1969 ] finally launched him as a major filmmaker, both nationally and internationally. Bhuvan Shome also initiated the “New Cinema” film movement in India.
Mrinal Sen had been suffering from age related ailments for many years. He died on 30 December 2018 at the age of 95 at his home in Bhawanipore, Kolkata.
Funeral Procession of Mrinal Sen
I came to know about him when his film Bhuvan Shome [ 1969 ] was released. It was the year when I just finished intermediate from Government Inter College , Allahabad [ now PRAYAGRAJ ] and took admission in Allahabad University. I was curious about the film but I could not watch it. I became aware of Mrinal Sen because of the buzz around the film.
Poster of BHUVAN SHOME
After Bhuvan Shome , other gems like Interview [ 1971 ] , Ek Adhuri Kahani [ 1971 ] , Calcutta 71 [ 1972 ] , Padatik [ 1973 ] , Chorus [ 1974 ] and Mrigayaa [ 1976 ] were released in quick succession.
Poster of MRIGAYAA
Mrigayaa [ 1976 ] became talk of the town . It introduced a naxalite as the protagonist. His name was Mithun Chakraborty. He got national award for the best actor for the film and soon became a sensation and later on came to be known as poor man’s Amitabh Bachchan.
Mrinal Sen was an ardent follower of Marxist philosophy. This is precisely the reason , I avoided watching his films. Till date I have watched none of his films . Neither Bhuvan Shome nor even Mrigayaa .
After his demise , I am thinking of watching all his films. List of awards , which his films won , tell us about his craft and his greatness.
National awards
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
- 1969: Bhuvan Shome
- 1974: Chorus
- 1976: Mrigayaa
- 1980: Akaler Sandhane
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
- 1961: Punascha
- 1965: Akash Kusum
- 1993: Antareen
National Film Award for Best Direction
- 1969: Bhuvan Shome
- 1979: Ek Din Pratidin
- 1980: Akaler Sandhane
- 1984: Khandhar
International awards
- Moscow International Film Festival – Silver Prize
1975 Chorus[13]
1979 Parashuram[14]
- Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Special Jury Prize
1977 Oka Oori Katha
- Berlin International Film Festival
Interfilm Award
1979 Parashuram
1981 Akaler Sandhane
Grand Jury Prize[15]
1981 Akaler Sandhane
- Cannes Film Festival – Jury Prize
1983 Kharij
- Chicago International Film Festival – Gold Hugo
1984 Khandhar
- Montreal World Film Festival – Special Prize of the Jury
1984 Khandhar
- Venice Film Festival – OCIC Award – Honorable Mention
1989 Ek Din Achanak
- Cairo International Film Festival – Silver Pyramid for Best Director
2002 Aamar Bhuban
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On behalf of all the students & staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , VIDUR Editing Studio , VIDUR Club and VIDUR Merchandise, I offer my condolences and tribute. It is sad that because of the aversion of Marxism , I refrained from watching his films .
[ Basic information about Mrinal Sen has been taken from Wikipedia . His photo posted here is from Google, I express gratitude .]
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