Kolkata: Dadasaheb Phalke award-winning film director Mrinal Sen passed away on Sunday after a prolonged battle with age-related ailments, family sources said. He was 95.
"Sen passed away today around 10.30 am due to age-related ailments," a family member said.
The auteur, who has won multiple National Film awards, was known for his artistic depiction of social reality.
A Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke award winner, Sen was an apostle of the Indian New Wave cinema. He has been given the moniker 'Maverick Maestro' for innovative experiments. He directed 27 feature films, 14 short films and four documentaries in a long career spanning from 1956 to 2002.
Sen is much known for films like 'Baishe Srabon', 'Mrigayaa', 'Ek Din Pratidin', 'Bhuvan Shome', 'Akaler Sandhane', 'Ek Din Achanak', 'Padatik', 'Neel Akasher Neechey' and 'Khandahar'. He also made the Telugu film 'Oka Oori Katha' in 1977.
Sen made his first feature film 'Raat Bore' in 1955. He rose to fame with 'Neel Akasher Neechey' (1955) and 'Baishe Srabon' (1960). Sen made films portraying various social and political issues.
He was among the three directors who brought the Bengali parallel cinema to the global stage alongside Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak.
He was a friend of Columbian novelist Gabriel García Márquez and had often been invited as a judge at international film festivals. The filmkaer was a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association.
His autobiography - Always Being Born – was published in 2004.
Sen was born on May 14 in 1923 at Faridpur, a town now in Bangladesh.
Sen was a a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1997 to 2003.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the demise of Sen on Twitter.
"Saddened at the passing away of Mrinal Sen. A great loss to the film industry. My condolences to his family," she tweeted.
CPI Secretary General Sitaram Yechury also remembered the filmmaker for his humanistic narrative.
"Mrinal Sen's passing away is a big loss not only to Cinema but to the world of Culture & India's civilisational values. Mrinal da radicalised cinematography by his people-centric humanistic narrative. Deepest condolences," he wrote.
Bengali film industry also mourned the loss of the illustrious director.
Parambrata Chatterjee tweeted, "End of an era... an epoch... legends never die... bhalo thakben (stay well)."
Prosenjit Chatterjee said, "At the end of the year receiving news like demise of the legend Mrinal Sen saddens and shocks us. Mrinal jethu gave a new perspective to Indian Cinema. It's a huge loss for all of us. May his soul rest in peace."
