Mrinal Sen ( ; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was a Bengali

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and a few

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Indian filmmakers, along with his contemporaries

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and playwright. Widely considered as one of the greatest film makers of all time, his works remained largely underrated and ignored during hi ...

, and

Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...

, Sen played a major role in India's

parallel cinema Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Cinema of India, Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema. Inspired by Italian Neorealism, ...

movement, which offered a realistic, socially aware counterpoint to splashy

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

films, as well as in the country's New Wave cinema. He also served as the President of FTII from 1984 to 1986. Sen received various national and international honors including eighteen Indian

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

. The Government of India honored him with the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, and the Government of France honored him with the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, while Russian Government honored him with the

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

. Sen was also awarded the

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest Film award, award in the field of cinema, given by the Government of India and presented annually at the National Film Awards. The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the ...

, the highest award for filmmakers in India. He was one of the few Indian filmmakers to have won awards at the big three film festivals viz.,

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and the

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

. Sen was a self described "private

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

Early life

Mrinal was born into a Hindu family in Faridpur district, East Bengal—now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. His father, Dineshchandra Sen, was a lawyer who supported Indian freedom fighters. His mother was Saraju Sen. In the early 1940s, Mrinal moved to

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

to study physics at

Scottish Church College Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in Asia. ...

. Like many middle-class students of the time, he was drawn to student politics, public theatre, and the struggle to find work. After Partition in 1947, his family settled in Kolkata permanently. A voracious reader, he spent hours at the

National Library of India The National Library of India is a library located in the Belvedere Estate, Alipore, Kolkata, India. It is India's largest library by volume and public record. The National Library is under Ministry of Culture (India), Ministry of Culture, Gove ...

(then the Imperial Library), reading books amid the political unrest of the time. In the evenings, he worked as a private tutor. One day, he came across

Rudolf Arnheim Rudolf Arnheim (; July 15, 1904 – June 9, 2007) was a German-born writer, art and film theorist, and perceptual psychologist. He learned Gestalt psychology from studying under Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Köhler at the University of Berlin and ...

’s ''Film as Art'', followed by Vladimir Nilsen's ''The Cinema as a Graphic Art''—books that profoundly influenced his journey into filmmaking. He became involved with the

Indian People’s Theatre Association Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is the oldest association of theatre-artists in India. IPTA was formed in 1943 during the British Raj, British rule in India, and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle. Its goal was to ...

(IPTA), backed by the Communist Party of India. He and his friends—

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...

, and occasionally Bijan Bhattacharya—spent hours in '' adda'', a Bengali tradition of intense, freewheeling discussions on art, politics, and life. Their favorite meeting place was a restaurant near Basusree Cinemahall, where, in 1955, they first watched Satyajit Ray’s ''

Pather Panchali (, ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali language, Bengali-language Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali Pather Panchali ...

''. Around this time, Mrinal met Geeta Shome (née Sen), whom he married in 1953. As a token of his affection, the first gift he gave her was '' Notes from the Gallows'' by Julius Fučík.

Influence

Mrinal Sen directed ''

Bhuvan Shome ''Bhuvan Shome'' is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Mrinal Sen based on a Bengali story by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. The cast includes Utpal Dutt (Bhuvan Shome) and Suhasini Mulay (Gauri, a villa ...

'' (''Mr. Shome'', 1969) which initiated the "New Wave Cinema Movement" in India.

Film craft, Social context and its political influence

The films that he made next were essentially political, and earned him the reputation as a

artist. This was also the time of large-scale political unrest throughout

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Particularly in and around Calcutta, this period underwent what is now known as the

Naxalite Naxalism is the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It is influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology. Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight ...

movement. This phase was immediately followed by a series of films where he shifted his focus, and instead of looking for enemies outside, he looked for the enemy within his own

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

society. This was arguably his most creative phase.

Depiction of Kolkata

In many Mrinal Sen movies from ''Punascha'' (1961) to ''Mahaprithivi'' (1992), Kolkata features prominently. He has shown Kolkata as a character, and as an inspiration. He has beautifully woven the people, value system, class difference and the roads of the city into his movies and coming of age for Kolkata, his El-Dorado.

Recognition

In 1982 he was a member of the jury at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1997 Sen became the member of the jury at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival. On 24 July 2012, Sen was not invited to the function organised by

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

to felicitate film personalities from the State. As per reports, his political views are believed to be the reason for his omission from the function.

Death

Sen had age-related ailments for many years. He died on 30 December 2018 at the age of 95 at his home in Bhawanipore, Kolkata. The cause was a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Awards

National Film Awards

Best Feature Film *1969: ''

'' *1974: ''

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

'' *1976: '' Mrigayaa'' *1980: '' Akaler Sandhane'' Second Best Feature Film *1972: '' Calcutta 71'' *1980: '' Kharij'' Best Direction *1969: ''

'' *1979: '' Ek Din Pratidin'' *1980: '' Akaler Sandhane'' *1984: '' Khandhar'' Best Screenplay *1974: '' Padatik'' *1983: '' Akaler Sandhane'' *1984: '' Kharij'' Special Mention *1978: ''Parashuram''

Best Regional Film Awards

Best Feature Film in Bengali *1961: ''Punascha'' *1965: '' Akash Kusum'' *1993: '' Antareen'' Best Feature Film in Telugu *1977: '' Oka Oori Katha''

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...

International awards

: 4th International Film Festival of India - Jury Prize -

- 1969 : : :

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

: : : : : :

State and institutional honors

*In 1979, he was awarded the Nehru Soviet Land Award by the

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

for his contribution to world cinema. *In 1981, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

awarded Sen with the

. *In 1985, President

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

, the

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

, awarded him the Commandeur de

(Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters) *In 1993, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the University of Burdwan. *In 1996, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by

Jadavpur University Jadavpur University ( abbr. JU) is a public state funded research university with its main campus located at Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established on 25 July in 1906 as ''Bengal Technical Institute'' and was converted into ...

. *In 1999, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Rabindra Bharati University. *Between 1998 and 2003, he was made an Honorary Member of the

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India (ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President o ...

in the

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. *In 2000, President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

of the

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honored him with the

. *In 2005, the

, the highest honor given to an Indian filmmaker, was awarded to him by the

for the year

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. *In 2009, he was awarded an honorary D. Litt., by the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

. *In 2017, he was inducted as a member of the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

Academy

Filmography

*'' Raat Bhore'' (''The Dawn'') (1955) *'' Neel Akasher Neechey'' (''Under the Blue Sky'') (1959) *'' Baishe Shravana'' (''Wedding Day'') (1960) *''Punascha'' (''Over Again'') (1961) *''Abasheshe'' (''And at Last'') (1963) *'' Pratinidhi'' (''The Representative'') (1964) *'' Akash Kusum'' (''Up in the Clouds'') (1965) *'' Matira Manisha'' (''Man of the Soil'') (''

Odia film Odia cinema, also known as Ollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Odia language widely spoken in the state of Odisha. Odia Cinema is based in Cuttack in Odisha, Indi ...

'') (1966) *''

'' (''Mr. Bhuvan Shome'') (1969) *'' Ichhapuran'' (1970) *''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' (1971) *'' Ek Adhuri Kahani'' (''An Unfinished Story'') (1971) *'' Calcutta 71'' (1972) *'' Padatik'' (''The Guerilla Fighter'') (1973) *''

'' (1974) *'' Mrigaya'' (''The Royal Hunt'') (1976) *'' Oka Oori Katha'' (''The Outsiders'') (1977) *'' Parashuram'' (''The Man with the Axe'') (1978) *'' Ek Din Pratidin'' (''And Quiet Rolls the Dawn'') (1979) *'' Akaler Shandhaney'' (''In Search of Famine'') (1980) *''Chalchitra'' (''The Kaleidoscope'') (1981) *'' Kharij'' (''The Case Is Closed'') (1982) *'' Khandhar'' (''The Ruins'') (1983) *''

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

'' (1986) *'' Kabhi Door Kabhi Paas'' (1986–87) (12 short films made for television broadcast) *'' Ek Din Achanak'' (''Suddenly, One Day'') (1989) *'' Mahaprithibi'' (''World Within, World Without'') (1991) *'' Antareen'' (''The Confined'') (1993) *'' Amar Bhuvan'' (''This, My Land'') (2002)

References

Notes

External links

* * *
Mrinal Sen
at the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sen, Mrinal 1923 births People from Faridpur District 2018 deaths Indian autobiographers Bengali film directors Bengali Hindus 20th-century Indian people Indian documentary filmmakers Film directors from Kolkata Scottish Church College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Indian memoirists Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Kalakar Awards winners Best Director National Film Award winners 21st-century Indian people Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award People from the Bengal Presidency