Indian film director (1923–2018)
Mrinal Sen
Born (1923-05-14 ) 14 May 1923Died 30 December 2018(2018-12-30) (aged 95)
[1] Alma mater
University of Calcutta Occupation Director Years active 1955–2002 Works
Filmography Spouse
Gita Sen
(
m. 1952; died 2017)
Awards In office 27 August 1997 – 26 August 2003
Mrinal Sen (14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian
film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in
Bengali , and a few
Hindi and
Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Indian filmmakers, along with his contemporaries
Satyajit Ray ,
Ritwik Ghatak , and
Tapan Sinha , Sen played a major role in the New Wave cinema of eastern India.
[2]
Sen has received various national and international honors including eighteen Indian
National Film Awards . The Government of India honored him with the
Padma Bhushan , and the Government of France honored him with the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres , while Russian Government honored him with the
Order of Friendship . Sen was also awarded the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award , the highest award for filmmakers in India.
[3]
He was one of the few Indian filmmakers having won awards at the big three film festivals viz.,
Cannes ,
Venice and the
Berlinale .
[2]
[4] Sen was a self described "private
Marxist ".
[5]
Influence
Mrinal Sen directed
Bhuvan Shome (Mr. Shome , 1969) which initiated the "New Wave Cinema Movement" in India.
[6]
Film craft, Social context and its political influence
The films that he made next were essentially political, and earned him the reputation as a
Marxist artist.
[7] This was also the time of large-scale political unrest throughout
India . Particularly in and around Calcutta, this period underwent what is now known as the
Naxalite 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 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.
[8]
Recognition
In 1982 he was a member of the jury at the
32nd Berlin International Film Festival .
[9] In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the
13th Moscow International Film Festival .
[10] In 1997 Sen became the member of the jury at the
20th Moscow International Film Festival .
[11]
On 24 July 2012, Sen was not invited to the function organised by
West Bengal government 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.
[12]
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.
[13] The cause was a
heart attack .
[14]
Awards
National Film Awards
Best Feature Film
Second Best Feature Film
Best Direction
Best Screenplay
Special Mention
Best Regional Film Awards
Best Feature Film in Bengali
Best Feature Film in Telugu
Critics Award for Best Film 1976
Mrigayaa
Best Screenplay 1984
Khandhar Best Director - Bengali 1982
Akaler Shandhaney Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 2017
Bengali Cinema
International awards
4th International Film Festival of India - Jury Prize -
Bhuvan Shome - 1969
[15]
Moscow International Film Festival - Silver Prize –
Parashuram
[16] 1975
Chorus
[17] – 1979
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
[18]
1981
Akaler Sandhane
Cannes Film Festival -
Jury Prize 1983
Kharij
Valladolid International Film Festival -
Golden Spike 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
State and institutional honors
In 1979, he was awarded the Nehru Soviet Land Award by the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for his contribution to world cinema.
In 1981, the
Government of India awarded Sen with the
Padma Bhushan .
[19]
In 1985, President
François Mitterrand , the
President of France , awarded him the Commandeur de
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters)
[20]
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 .
In 1999, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by
Rabindra Bharati University .
[21]
Between 1998 and 2003, he was made an Honorary Member of the
Indian Parliament in the
Rajya Sabha .
In 2000, President
Vladimir Putin of the
Russian Federation honored him with the
Order of Friendship .
In 2005, the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award , the highest honor given to an Indian filmmaker, was awarded to him by the
Government of India for the year
2003 .
[22]
In 2009, he was awarded an
List of University of Calcutta honorary degree recipients honorary D. Litt. by the
University of Calcutta .
[23]
In 2017, he was inducted as a member of the
Oscar Academy
[24]
Filmography
References
Notes
^ Genzlinger, Neil (3 January 2019).
"Mrinal Sen, One of India's Leading Directors, Dies at 95 (Published 2019)" . The New York Times . Retrieved 13 August 2023 .
^
a
b
"Memories from Mrinalda" . Rediff . Rediff.com. 1 February 2005.
Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010 .
^
"Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021" . festival-cannes.com .
Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022 .
^
"Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021" . festival-cannes.com .
Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022 .
^ Tuhina Mondol (31 December 2018).
"Mrinal Sen — the 'accidental filmmaker' " .
The Statesman . Retrieved 27 January 2020 .
^ Vasudev, Aruna (1986). The New Indian Cinema . Macmillan India.
ISBN
0-333-90928-3 .
^ Thorval, Yves (2000). Cinemas of India . Macmillan India. pp. 280–282.
ISBN
0-333-93410-5 .
^ Roy, Mousumi (31 December 2018).
"Mrinal Sen the Unpredictable Maverick" . TheQuint . Retrieved 13 August 2023 .
^
"Berlinale 1982: Juries" . berlinale.de .
Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2010 .
^
"13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983)" . MIFF . Archived from
the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013 .
^
"20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)" . MIFF . Archived from
the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013 .
^
"Omission of Mrinal Sen from West Bengal film awards triggers controversy" . 25 July 2012.
Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012 .
^
"Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen dies at 95" . 30 December 2018.
Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2018 .
^
"Mrinal Sen, legendary filmmaker and Phalke awardee, passes away at 95" . Indian Express. 30 December 2018.
Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2018 .
^
"4th IFFI" . 23 November 2019.
Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022 .
^
"11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979)" . MIFF . Archived from
the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013 .
^
"9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975)" . MIFF . Archived from
the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013 .
^
"Berlinale 1981: Prize Winners" . berlinale.de .
Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2010 .
^
"Padma Awards" (PDF) . Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015 .
^ Publications, Europa (27 October 2023).
The International Who's Who 2004 . Psychology Press.
ISBN
9781857432176 .
Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022 .
^
"Stellar Publishers" .
Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013 .
^
"51st National Film Awards" (PDF) .
Directorate of Film Festivals .
Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2012 .
^
"Annual Convocation" .
University of Calcutta . Archived from
the original on 28 May 2012.
^
"Academy invites record 774 new members; 39 percent female, 30 percent people color" . Hollywood Reporter. 29 June 2017.
Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017 .
External links
Awards for Mrinal Sen
1969–1980 1981–2000 2001–present
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1967–1980 1981–2000 2001–present
1967–1980 1981–2000 2001–present
Mrinal Sen and
Muzaffar Ali
(1978)
–
(1979)
–
(1980)
–
(1981)
–
(1982)
Kumar Shahani
(1983)
–
(1984)
–
(1985)
Sandip Ray
(1986)
–
(1987)
Aamir Khan
(1988)
Mohanlal and
Anupam Kher
(1989)
Anoubham Kiranmala
(1990)
Mamata Shankar and
Raveendran
(1991)
Sibaprasad Sen
(1992)
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and
Indradhanura Chhai
(1993)
Mahesh Mahadevan ,
Bishnu Kharghoria and
S. Kumar
(1994)
Uttara Baokar ,
Rohini , and
Benaf Dadachandji
(1995)
Dolon Roy and Bhagirathee
(1996)
Nagarjuna and
Jomol
(1997)
Dasari Narayana Rao ,
Prakash Raj , and
Manju Warrier
(1998)
Mohan Joshi ,
Manju Borah and
Kavitha Lankesh
(1999)
–
(2000)
Panoi-Jongki
(2001)
Jyothirmayi
(2002)
H. G. Dattatreya and
Nedumudi Venu
(2003)
Gurdas Maan and
Pradeep Nair
(2004)
–
(2005)
Thilakan and
Prosenjit Chatterjee
(2006)
–
(2007)
–
(2008)
Padmapriya Janakiraman
(2009)
K. Shivaram Karanth and V. I. S. Jayabalan
(2010)
Mallika and
Sherrey
(2011)
Lal ,
H. G. Dattatreya ,
Bishnu Kharghoria ,
Parineeti Chopra ,
Tannishtha Chatterjee , Hansraj Jagtap, and
Thilakan
(2012)
Gauri Gadgil, Sanjana Rai, and
Anjali Patil
(2013)
Musthafa, Palomi Ghosh, and
Parth Bhalerao
(2014)
Rinku Rajguru ,
Jayasurya , and
Ritika Singh
(2015)
Kadvi Hawa ,
Mukti Bhawan ,
Adil Hussain , and
Sonam Kapoor
(2016)
Pankaj Tripathi ,
Parvathy ,
Prakruti Mishra , and Yasharaj Karhade
(2017)
Sruthi Hariharan , Chandrachoor Rai,
Joju George , and
Savithri Sreedharan
(2018)
1969-Present (Special Jury Award) 2015-Present (Special Mention) 2012-2014 (Centenary Award)
1969–1980 1981–2000 2001–present
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