Legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen passes away at 95

Dadasaheb Phalke award-winning film director Mrinal Sen,  the last of the triumvirate of directing icons, Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, passed away on Sunday, December 30. He was 95. Sen took his last breath at 10.30 am after a prolonged battle with age-related ailments, family sources said. 

"Sen passed away today around 10.30 am due to age- related ailments," a family member said.

He is survived by his son. His wife, actor Geeta Sen, passed away last year. The auteur, who has won multiple national awards, was known for his artistic depiction of social reality. The iconic director who started the "new wave of Indian cinema" with "Bhuvan Shome", was one of the most acclaimed filmmakers to bring recognition to country's film industry on international platforms.

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His 1982 Bengali film "Kharij" won the jury prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.  A career spanning for more than six decades, Sen was one of the greatest ambassadors of parallel cinema directing films in both Bengali and Hindi.

His trilogy - "Interview", "Calcutta 71" and "Padatik" -  is considered to be a masterpiece for depicting the social and political upheaval in Kolkata in the '70s. President Ram Nath Kovind remembered the director for his "penetrating and sensitive portrayal of social realities". 

"Sad to learn of the passing of acclaimed film-maker Mrinal Sen. From 'Bhuvan Shome' to the 'Calcutta' trilogy, his penetrating and sensitive portrayal of social realities made him a fine chronicler of our times. A loss to Bengal, to India and to the world of cinema," the post from his official Twitter handle read. 

PM Modi tweeted: 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also condoled the demise of Sen on Twitter.

CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury also remembered the filmmaker for his humanistic narrative.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted:

Nandita Das tweeted: 

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South superstar Mohanlal also mourned the Indian film industry's loss in Sen's death. 

Sen was born on May 14, 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh. He did his post graduation from the University of Calcutta. As a student, he was influenced by Marxist ideology and was associated with the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India.

Although he never became a member of the party, he was a part of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association.   He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2003. Sen's last film as a director "Aamaar Bhuvan" ("This, My Land") released in 2002.