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{{Short description|Indian film director}}
{{Short description|Indian film director (1923–2018)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=December 2018}}
{{Prose|date=June 2020}}
}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name             = Mrinal Sen
| name               = Mrinal Sen
| image           = Mrinal-sen.jpg
| image             = Mrinal-sen.jpg
| imagesize        =  
| honorific_suffix  = [[Member of Parliament|MP]]
| caption         =  
| caption           =
| birth_name       =  
| birth_name         =
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1923|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1923|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Faridpur, Bangladesh|Faridpur]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br/>(now in [[Bangladesh]])
| birth_place       = [[Faridpur, Bangladesh|Faridpur]], [[Bengal Presidency]], British India
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2018|12|30|1923|5|14|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://bollywoodgaliyara.com/2018/12/the-dadasaheb-phalke-award-winning-film-director-mrinal-sen-passed-away-on-sunday-at-the-age-of-95/|title= The Dadasaheb Phalke award-winning film director Mrinal Sen Passed away on Sunday at the age of 95|author= Rakesh Sharma|date= 30 December 2018|work= Bollywood Galiyara|publisher= BollywoodGaliyara.com|access-date= 30 December 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190101143357/https://bollywoodgaliyara.com/2018/12/the-dadasaheb-phalke-award-winning-film-director-mrinal-sen-passed-away-on-sunday-at-the-age-of-95/|archive-date= 1 January 2019|url-status= dead}}</ref>
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2018|12|30|1923|5|14|df=y}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-01-03 |title=Mrinal Sen, One of India's Leading Directors, Dies at 95 (Published 2019) |work=The New York Times |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/obituaries/mrinal-sen-dead.html |access-date=2023-08-13 |last1=Genzlinger |first1=Neil}}</ref>
| death_place     = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| death_place       = [[Bhawanipore]], [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India
| alma_mater       = [[University of Calcutta]]
| alma_mater         = [[University of Calcutta]]
| occupation       = Director  
| occupation         = Director
| years_active     = 1955–2002
| years_active       = 1955–2002
| works           = [[Mrinal Sen#Filmography|Filmography]]  
| works             = [[#Filmography|Filmography]]
| spouse           = {{marriage|Gita Sen|1952|2017|reason=her death}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|Gita Sen|1952|2017|reason=died}}
| awards           = [[Padma Bhushan]] (1983)<br/>[[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] (1985)<br/>[[Order of Friendship]] (2000)<br/>[[Dadasaheb Phalke Award]] (2003)  
| awards             = {{plainlist|
| module          = {{infobox officeholder|embed=yes
* [[Padma Bhushan]] (1983)
| office2          = [[Member of Parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]], [[Rajya Sabha]]<br/>(nominated)
* [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] (1985)
| term_start2      = 27 August 1997
* [[Order of Friendship]] (2000)
| term_end2        = 26 August 2003
* [[Dadasaheb Phalke Award]] (2003)
}}
}}
}}
'''Mrinal Sen''' (also spelled ''Mrinal Shen''; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian [[film director]] and a nominated Member of the Indian parliament. Sen directed films primarily in [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Hindi]]. Along with his contemporaries [[Ritwik Ghatak]], [[Tapan Sinha]] and [[Satyajit Ray]] he pioneered the New Wave cinema in India. He has received multiple awards, including 18 [[National Film Awards]]. The Government of India has awarded him the [[Padma Bhushan]], and the Government of France has awarded him the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]], while Russian Government awarded him [[Order of Friendship]]. Sen was also awarded the [[Dadasaheb Phalke Award]]. He was the only Indian filmmaker along with [[Satyajit Ray]] whose films have been awarded at the big three film festivals namely the [[Cannes film festival]], [[Venice Film Festival]] and the [[Berlin Film Festival]].<ref name=rediff>{{cite web |url=http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/02mrinal.htm |title= Memories from Mrinalda|date=1 February 2005 |work=Rediff |publisher= Rediff.com|access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref><ref>http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/artist/mrinal-sen ''Cannes.''</ref> Sen was a self described "private [[Marxist]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/mrinal-sen-accidental-filmmaker-1502720904.html#:~:text=While%20studying%20in%20college%2C%20Mrinal,called%20himself%20a%20'private%20Marxist'&text=Mrinal%20Sen%20has%20often%20been%20called%20the%20%E2%80%9Caccidental%20filmmaker%E2%80%9D. |title=Mrinal Sen — the 'accidental filmmaker'|author=Tuhina Mondol |date=31 December 2018|work=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]] |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref>
| module            = {{infobox officeholder|embed=yes
|office1 = 6th President of [[Film and Television Institute of India]]
| term_start1 = 9 April 1984
| term_end1  = 30 September 1986
| predecessor1 = [[Shyam Benegal]]
| successor1 = [[Adoor Gopalakrishnan]]
| office          = [[Member of Parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]], [[Rajya Sabha]]<br />(nominated)
| term_start      = 27 August 1997
| term_end        = 26 August 2003
}}
}}
 
'''Mrinal Sen''' ({{IPA|en|mrɪˈnɑːl}} {{IPA|bn|/mriːˈnal/}}; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali]], and a few [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]] and [[Telugu cinema|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 India's [[parallel cinema]] movement, which offered a realistic, socially aware counterpoint to splashy [[Bollywood]] films, as well as in the country's New Wave cinema.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=rediff>{{cite web |url=http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/02mrinal.htm |title=Memories from Mrinalda |date=1 February 2005 |work=Rediff |publisher=Rediff.com |access-date=27 January 2010 |archive-date=18 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918004355/http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/02mrinal.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He also served as the President of [[Film and Television Institute of India|FTII]] from 1984 to 1986.
 
Sen 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/artist/mrinal-sen |title=Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021 |website=festival-cannes.com |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628172955/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/artist/mrinal-sen |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
He was one of the few Indian filmmakers to have won awards at the big three film festivals viz., [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]], [[Venice Film Festival|Venice]] and the [[Berlin Film Festival|Berlinale]].<ref name=rediff/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/artist/mrinal-sen |title=Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021 |website=festival-cannes.com |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628172955/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/artist/mrinal-sen |url-status=live}}</ref> Sen was a self described "private [[Marxist]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/mrinal-sen-accidental-filmmaker1502720904.html#:~:text=While%20studying%20in%20college%2C%20Mrinal,called%20himself%20a%20'private%20Marxist'&text=Mrinal%20Sen%20has%20often%20been%20called%20the%20%E2%80%9Caccidental%20filmmaker%E2%80%9D. |title=Mrinal Sen — the 'accidental filmmaker' |author=Tuhina Mondol |date=31 December 2018 |work=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]] |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref>
 
==Early life==
Mrinal was born into a Hindu family in [[Faridpur District|Faridpur district, East Bengal]]—now [[Bangladesh]]. His father, Dineshchandra Sen, was a lawyer who supported Indian freedom fighters.<ref name=":0" /> His mother was Saraju Sen.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |date=2019-01-07 |title=Mrinal Sen obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/07/mrinal-sen-obituary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710224001/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/07/mrinal-sen-obituary |archive-date=July 10, 2024 |access-date=2025-04-04 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
 
In the early 1940s, Mrinal moved to [[Kolkata]] to study physics at [[Scottish Church College]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=2019-01-03 |title=Mrinal Sen, One of India's Leading Directors, Dies at 95 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/obituaries/mrinal-sen-dead.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813112943/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/obituaries/mrinal-sen-dead.html |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |access-date=2025-04-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Like many middle-class students of the time, he was drawn to student politics, public theatre, and the struggle to find work. After [[Partition of India|Partition in 1947]], his family settled in Kolkata permanently.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=মুখোপাধ্যায় |first=সঞ্জয় |date=January 17, 2019 |title=সময়ের আয়না ও মৃণাল সেন |journal=[[Desh (magazine)|Desh]] |issue=6 |pages=22–23}}</ref>
 
A voracious reader, he spent hours at the [[National Library of India]] (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]]'s ''Film as Art'', followed by Vladimir Nilsen's ''The Cinema as a Graphic Art''—books that profoundly influenced his journey into filmmaking.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Devarsi |title=One Hundred Years of Mrinal Sen |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/06/mrinal-sen-india-filmmaker-politics-communism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250111024630/https://jacobin.com/2023/06/mrinal-sen-india-filmmaker-politics-communism |archive-date=January 11, 2025 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
 
He became involved with the [[Indian People's Theatre Association|Indian People's Theatre Association]] (IPTA), backed by the Communist Party of India.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Obituaries |first=Telegraph |date=2019-03-11 |title=Mrinal Sen, film director whose work was fuelled by his radical politics – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/03/11/mrinal-sen-film-director-whose-work-fuelled-radical-politics/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> He and his friends—[[Ritwik Ghatak]], [[Salil Chowdhury]], [[Tapan Sinha]], and occasionally [[Bijon Bhattacharya|Bijan Bhattacharya]]—spent hours in ''[[Adda (South Asian)|adda]]'', a Bengali tradition of intense, freewheeling discussions on art, politics, and life. Their favorite meeting place was a restaurant near [[Basusree Cinema, Kolkata|Basusree Cinema hall]], where, in 1955, they first watched Satyajit Ray's ''[[Pather Panchali]]''.<ref name=":0" />
 
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 (journalist)|Julius Fučík]].<ref name=":0" />
 
==Influence==
==Influence==
After making five more films, he made a film with a shoestring budget provided by the [[Government of India]]. This film, ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]'' (''Mr. Shome'', 1969), finally launched him as a major filmmaker, both nationally and internationally. ''Bhuvan Shome'' also initiated the "New Cinema" film movement in India.<ref name=newcinema>{{cite book |title= The New Indian Cinema |last= Vasudev|first= Aruna|year= 1986|publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=0-333-90928-3 }}</ref>
Mrinal Sen directed ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]'' (''Mr. Shome'', 1969), which initiated the "New Wave Cinema Movement" in India.<ref name=newcinema>{{cite book |title=The New Indian Cinema |last=Vasudev |first=Aruna |year=1986 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=0-333-90928-3}}</ref>
===Social context and its political influence===
 
The films that he made next were essentially political, and earned him the reputation as a [[Marxist]] artist.<ref name=thorval>{{cite book |title= Cinemas of India|last=Thorval |first= Yves|year=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India|isbn= 0-333-93410-5|pages= 280–282}}</ref> 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.
===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.<ref name=thorval>{{cite book |title=Cinemas of India |last=Thorval |first=Yves |year=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=0-333-93410-5 |pages=280–282}}</ref> 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===
===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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mrinal Sen movies and Kolkata|url=http://www.gomolo.in/features/article.aspx?ArticleID=249|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116065658/http://www.gomolo.in/features/article.aspx?ArticleID=249|archive-date=16 January 2010}}</ref>
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 woven the people, value system, class differences, and the roads of the city into his movies and coming-of-age for Kolkata, it is his El Dorado.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roy |first=Mousumi |date=2018-12-31 |title=Mrinal Sen the Unpredictable Maverick |url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/indian-cinema/mrinal-sen-unpredictable-maverick |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref>
 
==Recognition==
==Recognition==
In 1982 he was a member of the jury at the [[32nd Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="berlinale 1982">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1982/04_jury_1982/04_Jury_1982.html |title=Berlinale 1982: Juries |access-date=2 September 2010 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref> In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the [[13th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1983">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1983 |title=13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983) |access-date=28 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107141111/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1983 |archive-date=7 November 2013 }}</ref> In 1997 Sen became the member of the jury at the [[20th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1997">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997 |title=20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997) |access-date=22 March 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322163106/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997 |archive-date=22 March 2013 }}</ref>
 
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.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/article3679675.ece | title= Omission of Mrinal Sen from West Bengal film awards triggers controversy| date= 25 July 2012}}</ref>{{Dead link}}
In 1982, he was a member of the jury at the [[32nd Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="berlinale 1982">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1982/04_jury_1982/04_Jury_1982.html |title=Berlinale 1982: Juries |access-date=2 September 2010 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023125209/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1982/04_jury_1982/04_Jury_1982.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the [[13th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1983">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1983 |title=13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983) |access-date=28 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107141111/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1983 |archive-date=7 November 2013}}</ref> In 1997, Sen became a member of the jury at the [[20th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1997">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997 |title=20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997) |access-date=22 March 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322163106/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997 |archive-date=22 March 2013}}</ref>
On 24 July 2012, Sen was not invited to the function organised by [[Government of West Bengal]] 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/article3679675.ece |title=Omission of Mrinal Sen from West Bengal film awards triggers controversy |date=25 July 2012 |access-date=25 July 2012 |archive-date=27 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727041644/http://www.thehindu.com/news/article3679675.ece |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Death==
==Death==
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 [[Bhowanipore|Bhawanipore]], Kolkata.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/people/bengali-filmmaker-mrinal-sen-dies-at-95-2166800.html|title=Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen dies at 95|access-date=30 December 2018|publisher=Zee News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://bollywoodgaliyara.com/2018/12/the-dadasaheb-phalke-award-winning-film-director-mrinal-sen-passed-away-on-sunday-at-the-age-of-95/|title= The Dadasaheb Phalke award-winning film director Mrinal Sen Passed away on Sunday at the age of 95|author= Rakesh Sharma|date= 30 December 2018|work= Bollywood Galiyara|publisher= BollywoodGaliyara.com|access-date= 30 December 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190101143357/https://bollywoodgaliyara.com/2018/12/the-dadasaheb-phalke-award-winning-film-director-mrinal-sen-passed-away-on-sunday-at-the-age-of-95/|archive-date= 1 January 2019|url-status= dead}}</ref> The cause was a [[heart attack]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/mrinal-sen-dead-5515743/|title=Mrinal Sen, legendary filmmaker and Phalke awardee, passes away at 95|publisher=Indian Express|access-date=30 December 2018}}</ref>
Sen had age-related ailments for many years. He died on 30 December 2018 at the age of 95 at his home in [[Bhowanipore|Bhawanipore]], Kolkata.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://zeenews.india.com/people/bengali-filmmaker-mrinal-sen-dies-at-95-2166800.html |title=Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen dies at 95 |date=30 December 2018 |access-date=30 December 2018 |archive-date=1 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101143352/http://zeenews.india.com/people/bengali-filmmaker-mrinal-sen-dies-at-95-2166800.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The cause was a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/mrinal-sen-dead-5515743/ |title=Mrinal Sen, legendary filmmaker and Phalke awardee, passes away at 95 |date=30 December 2018 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=30 December 2018 |archive-date=1 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101143406/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/mrinal-sen-dead-5515743/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Awards==
==Awards==
===National awards===
===National Film Awards===
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Feature Film]]
*1969: ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]''
* 1969: ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]''
*1974: ''[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]''
* 1974: ''[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]''
*1976: ''[[Mrigayaa]]''
* 1976: ''[[Mrigayaa]]''
*1980: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
* 1980: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
[[National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film]]
 
*1972: ''[[Calcutta 71]]''
[[National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film|Second Best Feature Film]]
*1980: ''[[Kharij]]''
* 1972: ''[[Calcutta 71]]''
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali]]
* 1980: ''[[Kharij]]''
*1961: ''Punascha''
 
*1965: ''[[Akash Kusum]]''
[[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]
*1993: ''[[Antareen]]''
* 1969: ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]''
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu]]
* 1979: ''[[Ek Din Pratidin]]''
*1977: ''[[Oka Oori Katha]]''
* 1980: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
[[National Film Award – Special Mention (feature film)]]
* 1984: ''[[Khandhar]]''
*1978: ''Parashuram''
 
[[National Film Award for Best Direction]]
[[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
*1969: ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]''
* 1974: ''[[Padatik (1973 film)|Padatik]]''
*1979: ''[[Ek Din Pratidin]]''
* 1983: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
*1980: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
* 1984: ''[[Kharij]]''
*1984: ''[[Khandhar]]''
 
[[National Film Award for Best Screenplay]]
[[National Film Award – Special Mention (feature film)|Special Mention]]
*1974: ''[[Padatik (film)|Padatik]]''
* 1978: ''Parashuram''
*1983: ''[[Akaler Sandhane]]''
 
*1984: ''[[Kharij]]''
===Best Regional Film Awards===
;[[Filmfare Awards]]
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali|Best Feature Film in Bengali]]
:{{Awd|[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie|Critics Award for Best Film]]|1976|[[Mrigayaa]]}} {{Awd|[[Filmfare Best Screenplay Award|Best Screenplay]]|1984|[[Khandhar]]}} {{Awd|Best Director - Bengali|1982|[[Akaler Shandhaney]]}} {{Awd|Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award|2017|[[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali Cinema]]}}
* 1961: ''Punascha''
* 1965: ''[[Akash Kusum]]''
* 1993: ''[[Antareen]]''
 
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu|Best Feature Film in Telugu]]
* 1977: ''[[Oka Oori Katha]]''
 
===[[Filmfare Awards]]===
:{{Awards|[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie|Critics Award for Best Film]]|1976|[[Mrigayaa]]}} {{Awards|[[Filmfare Best Screenplay Award|Best Screenplay]]|1984|[[Khandhar]]}} {{Awards|Best Director - Bengali|1982|[[Akaler Shandhaney]]}} {{Awards|Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award|2017|[[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali Cinema]]}}
 
===International awards===
===International awards===
:{{Awd|[[Moscow International Film Festival]] - Silver Prize|1975|[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]<ref name="Moscow1975">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1975 |title=9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975) |access-date=5 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194905/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1975 |archive-date=16 January 2013 }}</ref>|1979|[[Parasuram (1979 film)|Parashuram]]<ref name="Moscow1979">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |title=11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979) |access-date=19 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116210417/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |archive-date=16 January 2013 }}</ref>}}
:[[4th International Film Festival of India]] - Jury Prize - [[Bhuvan Shome]] - 1969<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pickle.co.in/markets/iffi-a-trip-down-the-memory-lane/ |title=4th IFFI |date=23 November 2019 |access-date=16 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163530/https://pickle.co.in/markets/iffi-a-trip-down-the-memory-lane/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
:{{Awards|[[Moscow International Film Festival]] - Silver Prize|1975|[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]<ref name="Moscow1975">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1975 |title=9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975) |access-date=5 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194905/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1975 |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>|1979|[[Parasuram (1979 film)|Parashuram]]<ref name="Moscow1979">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |title=11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979) |access-date=19 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116210417/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>}}


:{{Awd|[[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] - Special Jury Prize|1977|[[Oka Oori Katha]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] - Special Jury Prize|1977|[[Oka Oori Katha]]}}


:'''[[Berlin International Film Festival]]''' <br/> {{Awd|Interfilm Award|1979|Parashuram|||1981|[[Akaler Sandhane]]}} {{Awd|[[Jury Grand Prix|Grand Jury Prize]]<ref name="berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1981/03_preistr_ger_1981/03_Preistraeger_1981.html |title=Berlinale 1981: Prize Winners |access-date=22 August 2010 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>|[[31st Berlin International Film Festival|1981]]|[[Akaler Sandhane]]}}
:'''[[Berlin International Film Festival]]''' <br /> {{Awards|Interfilm Award|1979|Parashuram|||1981|[[Akaler Sandhane]]}} {{Awards|[[Jury Grand Prix|Grand Jury Prize]]<ref name="berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1981/03_preistr_ger_1981/03_Preistraeger_1981.html |title=Berlinale 1981: Prize Winners |access-date=22 August 2010 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=12 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012044531/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1981/03_preistr_ger_1981/03_Preistraeger_1981.html |url-status=live}}</ref>|[[31st Berlin International Film Festival|1981]]|[[Akaler Sandhane]]}}


:{{Awd|[[Cannes Film Festival]] - [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Jury Prize]]|1983|[[Kharij]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Cannes Film Festival]] - [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Jury Prize]]|1983|[[Kharij]]}}


:{{Awd|[[Valladolid International Film Festival]] - [[Seminci|Golden Spike]]|1983|[[Kharij]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Valladolid International Film Festival]] - [[Seminci|Golden Spike]]|1983|[[Kharij]]}}


:{{Awd|[[Chicago International Film Festival]] - Gold Hugo|1984|[[Khandhar]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Chicago International Film Festival]] - Gold Hugo|1984|[[Khandhar]]}}


:{{Awd|[[Montreal World Film Festival]] - Special Prize of the Jury|1984|[[Khandhar]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Montreal World Film Festival]] - Special Prize of the Jury|1984|[[Khandhar]]}}


:{{Awd|[[Venice Film Festival]] - OCIC Award - Honorable Mention|1989|[[Ek Din Achanak]]}}
:{{Awards|[[Venice Film Festival]] - OCIC Award - Honorable Mention|1989|[[Ek Din Achanak]]}}
 
:{{Awards|[[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]].<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |archive-date=15 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 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)<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&q=%22Ordre%20des%20Arts%20et%20des%20Lettres%22%20Mrinal&pg=PA1518 |title=The International Who's Who 2004 |isbn=9781857432176 |access-date=17 June 2022 |archive-date=17 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617033025/https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&pg=PA1518&q=%22Ordre%20des%20Arts%20et%20des%20Lettres%22%20Mrinal |url-status=live |last1=Publications |first1=Europa |date=27 October 2023 |publisher=Psychology Press}}</ref>
* 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]].<ref name=Stellar>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stellarpublishers.com/authors.html |title=Stellar Publishers |access-date=26 October 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195305/http://www.stellarpublishers.com/authors.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
* 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 [[51st National Film Awards|2003]].<ref name="51stawardPDF">{{cite web |url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/51st_nff_2004.pdf |title=51st National Film Awards |publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]] |access-date=15 March 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234942/http://dff.nic.in/2011/51st_nff_2004.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2009, he was awarded an honorary D. Litt., by the [[University of Calcutta]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Convocation |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/convocation-2012/hony_degrees.htm |publisher=[[University of Calcutta]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528004638/http://caluniv.ac.in/convocation-2012/hony_degrees.htm |archive-date=28 May 2012}}</ref>
* In 2017, he was inducted as a member of the [[Academy Award|Oscar]] Academy<ref>{{cite web |title=Academy invites record 774 new members; 39 percent female, 30 percent people color |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/academy-invites-record-774-new-members-39-percent-female-30-percent-people-color-1017318 |date=29 June 2017 |access-date=29 June 2017 |archive-date=29 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629145440/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/academy-invites-record-774-new-members-39-percent-female-30-percent-people-color-1017318 |url-status=live}}</ref>


:{{Awd|[[Cairo International Film Festival]] - Silver Pyramid for Best Director|2002|Aamar Bhuban}}
==State and institutional honours==
*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]].<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref>
*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), the highest civilian honour conferred by that country, in recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&pg=PA1518&lpg=PA1518&dq=%22Ordre+des+Arts+et+des+Lettres%22+Mrinal&source=bl&ots=39Nhg41VwW&sig=3mELmefU47VO5CI6MH_Qosf2lPE&hl=en&ei=oxZqS9iVCYyRtgeM7ISdDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CBcQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=%22Ordre%20des%20Arts%20et%20des%20Lettres%22%20Mrinal&f=false The International Who's Who 2004]</ref>
*In 1993, he was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by the [[University of Burdwan]].
*In 1996, Sen was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by [[Jadavpur University]].
*In 1999, he was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by [[Rabindra Bharati University]].<ref name=Stellar>[http://www.stellarpublishers.com/authors.html Stellar Publishers]</ref>
*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]] honoured him with the [[Order of Friendship]].
*In 2005, the [[Dadasaheb Phalke Award]], the highest honour given to an Indian filmmaker, was awarded to him by the [[Government of India]] for the year [[51st National Film Awards|2003]].<ref name="51stawardPDF">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/51st_nff_2004.pdf|title=51st National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]|access-date=15 March 2012}}</ref>
*In 2009, he was awarded an [[List of University of Calcutta honorary degree recipients|honorary D. Litt.]] by the [[University of Calcutta]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Convocation|url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/convocation-2012/hony_degrees.htm|publisher=[[University of Calcutta]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528004638/http://caluniv.ac.in/convocation-2012/hony_degrees.htm|archive-date=28 May 2012}}</ref>
*In 2017, he was inducted as a member of the [[Academy Award|Oscar]] Academy<ref>{{cite web | title =Academy invites record 774 new members; 39 percent female, 30 percent people color |publisher=Hollywood Reporter| url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/academy-invites-record-774-new-members-39-percent-female-30-percent-people-color-1017318 |date=29 June 2017|access-date = 29 June 2017}}</ref>
==Filmography==
==Filmography==
*''[[Raat Bhore]]'' (''The Dawn'') (1955)
* ''[[Raat Bhore]]'' (''The Dawn'') (1955)
*''[[Neel Akasher Neechey]]'' (''Under the Blue Sky'') (1959)
* ''[[Neel Akasher Neechey]]'' (''Under the Blue Sky'') (1959)
*''Baishey Shravana'' (''Wedding Day'') (1960)
* ''[[Baishe Shravana]]'' (''Wedding Day'') (1960)
*''Punascha'' (''Over Again'') (1961)
* ''Punascha'' (''Over Again'') (1961)
*''Abasheshe'' (''And at Last'') (1963)
* ''Abasheshe'' (''And at Last'') (1963)
*''[[Pratinidhi (film)|Pratinidhi]]'' (''The Representative'') (1964)
* ''[[Protinidhi (film)|Pratinidhi]]'' (''The Representative'') (1964)
*''[[Akash Kusum]]'' (''Up in the Clouds'') (1965)
* ''[[Akash Kusum]]'' (''Up in the Clouds'') (1965)
*''[[Matira Manisha]]'' (''Man of the Soil'') (''[[Cinema of Odisha|Odia film]]'') (1966)
* ''[[Matira Manisha]]'' (''Man of the Soil'') (''[[Cinema of Odisha|Odia film]]'') (1966)
*''[[Bhuvan Shome]]'' (''Mr. Bhuvan Shome'') (1969)
* ''[[Bhuvan Shome]]'' (''Mr. Bhuvan Shome'') (1969)
*''[[Interview (1971 film)|Interview]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Ichhapuran]]'' (1970)
*''[[Ek Adhuri Kahani]]'' (''An Unfinished Story'') (1971)
* ''[[Interview (1971 film)|Interview]]'' (1971)
*''[[Calcutta 71]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Ek Adhuri Kahani]]'' (''An Unfinished Story'') (1971)
*''[[Padatik (film)|Padatik]]'' (''The Guerilla Fighter'') (1973)
* ''[[Calcutta 71]]'' (1972)
*''[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Padatik (1973 film)|Padatik]]'' (''The Guerilla Fighter'') (1973)
*''[[Mrigayaa]]'' (''The Royal Hunt'') (1976)
* ''[[Chorus (1974 film)|Chorus]]'' (1974)
*''[[Oka Oori Katha]]'' (''The Outsiders'') (1977)
* ''[[Mrigayaa|Mrigaya]]'' (''The Royal Hunt'') (1976)
*''[[Parashuram (1979 film)|Parashuram]]'' (''The Man with the Axe'') (1978)
* ''[[Oka Oori Katha]]'' (''The Outsiders'') (1977)
*''[[Ek Din Pratidin]]'' (''And Quiet Rolls the Dawn'') (1979)
* ''[[Parashuram (1979 film)|Parashuram]]'' (''The Man with the Axe'') (1978)
*''[[Akaler Sandhane]]'' (''In Search of Famine'') (1980)
* ''[[Ek Din Pratidin]]'' (''And Quiet Rolls the Dawn'') (1979)
*''Chalchitra'' (''The Kaleidoscope'') (1981)
* ''[[Akaler Shandhaney]]'' (''In Search of Famine'') (1980)
*''[[Kharij]]'' (''The Case Is Closed'') (1982)
* ''Chalchitra'' (''The Kaleidoscope'') (1981)
*''[[Khandhar]]'' (''The Ruins'') (1983)
* ''[[Kharij]]'' (''The Case Is Closed'') (1982)
*''[[Genesis (1986 film)|Genesis]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Khandhar]]'' (''The Ruins'') (1983)
*''[[Ek Din Achanak]]'' (''Suddenly, One Day'') (1989)
* ''[[Genesis (1986 film)|Genesis]]'' (1986)
*''[[Mahaprithibi]]'' (''World Within, World Without'') (1991)
* ''[[Kabhi Door Kabhi Paas]]'' (1986–87) (12 short films made for television broadcast)
*''[[Antareen]]'' (''The Confined'') (1993)
* ''[[Ek Din Achanak]]'' (''Suddenly, One Day'') (1989)
*''[[Aamaar Bhuvan]]'' (''This, My Land'') (2002)
* ''[[Mahaprithibi]]'' (''World Within, World Without'') (1991)
* ''[[Antareen]]'' (''The Confined'') (1993)
* ''[[Amar Bhuvan]]'' (''This, My Land'') (2002)
 
==See also==
* [[Nabyendu Chatterjee]]
* [[Sekhar Das]]
* [[Anjan Dutt]]
* [[Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury]]
* [[Nandita Das]]
 
== References ==
== References ==
===Notes===
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author}}  
* {{Internet Archive author}}
* {{IMDb name|0784019}}
* {{IMDb name|0784019}}
* [http://mrinalsen.org/ Mrinal Sen]
* {{official website|http://mrinalsen.org/|Mrinal Sen – official website}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mrinal-Sen Mrinal Sen] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mrinal-Sen Mrinal Sen] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
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[[Category:Scottish Church College alumni]]
[[Category:Scottish Church College alumni]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]]
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[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:People from the Bengal Presidency]]

Latest revision as of 11:53, 26 February 2026


Mrinal Sen

MP
Born(1923-05-14)14 May 1923
Faridpur, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died30 December 2018(2018-12-30) (aged 95)[1]
Bhawanipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
OccupationDirector
Years active1955–2002
Works
Filmography
Spouse(s)
Gita Sen
​
(
m. 1952; died 2017)
Awards
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
(nominated)
In office
27 August 1997 – 26 August 2003
6th President of Film and Television Institute of India
In office
9 April 1984 – 30 September 1986
Preceded byShyam Benegal
Succeeded byAdoor Gopalakrishnan

Mrinal Sen (en bn; 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 India's parallel cinema movement, which offered a realistic, socially aware counterpoint to splashy Bollywood films, as well as in the country's New Wave cinema.[2][3] 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 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.[4]

He was one of the few Indian filmmakers to have won awards at the big three film festivals viz., Cannes, Venice and the Berlinale.[3][5] Sen was a self described "private Marxist".[6]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Mrinal was born into a Hindu family in Faridpur district, East Bengal—now Bangladesh. His father, Dineshchandra Sen, was a lawyer who supported Indian freedom fighters.[7] His mother was Saraju Sen.[8]

In the early 1940s, Mrinal moved to Kolkata to study physics at Scottish Church College.[2] 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.[7]

A voracious reader, he spent hours at the National Library of India (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's Film as Art, followed by Vladimir Nilsen's The Cinema as a Graphic Art—books that profoundly influenced his journey into filmmaking.[9][7]

He became involved with the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), backed by the Communist Party of India.[10] He and his friends—Ritwik Ghatak, Salil Chowdhury, Tapan Sinha, 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 Cinema hall, where, in 1955, they first watched Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali.[7]

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.[7]

Influence[edit | edit source]

Mrinal Sen directed Bhuvan Shome (Mr. Shome, 1969), which initiated the "New Wave Cinema Movement" in India.[11]

Film craft, social context and its political influence[edit | edit source]

The films that he made next were essentially political, and earned him the reputation as a Marxist artist.[12] 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[edit | edit source]

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 woven the people, value system, class differences, and the roads of the city into his movies and coming-of-age for Kolkata, it is his El Dorado.[13]

Recognition[edit | edit source]

In 1982, he was a member of the jury at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.[14] In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival.[15] In 1997, Sen became a member of the jury at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival.[16] On 24 July 2012, Sen was not invited to the function organised by Government of West Bengal 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.[17]

Death[edit | edit source]

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.[18] The cause was a heart attack.[19]

Awards[edit | edit source]

National Film Awards[edit | edit source]

Best Feature Film

Second Best Feature Film

Best Direction

Best Screenplay

Special Mention

  • 1978: Parashuram

Best Regional Film Awards[edit | edit source]

Best Feature Film in Bengali

Best Feature Film in Telugu

Filmfare Awards[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

4th International Film Festival of India - Jury Prize - Bhuvan Shome - 1969[20]
Moscow International Film Festival - Silver Prize – Parashuram[21]
1975 Chorus[22] – 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[23]
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[edit | edit source]

Filmography[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Genzlinger, Neil (3 January 2019). "Mrinal Sen, One of India's Leading Directors, Dies at 95". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Memories from Mrinalda". Rediff. Rediff.com. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  4. ↑ "Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mrinal SEN - Festival de Cannes 2021". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ↑ Tuhina Mondol (31 December 2018). "Mrinal Sen — the 'accidental filmmaker'". The Statesman. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 মুখোপাধ্যায়, সঞ্জয় (17 January 2019). "সময়ের আয়না ও মৃণাল সেন". Desh (6): 22–23.
  8. ↑ Bergan, Ronald (7 January 2019). "Mrinal Sen obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  9. ↑ Ghosh, Devarsi. "One Hundred Years of Mrinal Sen". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 11 January 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  10. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (11 March 2019). "Mrinal Sen, film director whose work was fuelled by his radical politics – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  11. ↑ Vasudev, Aruna (1986). The New Indian Cinema. Macmillan India. ISBN 0-333-90928-3.
  12. ↑ Thorval, Yves (2000). Cinemas of India. Macmillan India. pp. 280–282. ISBN 0-333-93410-5.
  13. ↑ Roy, Mousumi (31 December 2018). "Mrinal Sen the Unpredictable Maverick". TheQuint. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Berlinale 1982: Juries". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  15. ↑ "13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ "Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen dies at 95". 30 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "Mrinal Sen, legendary filmmaker and Phalke awardee, passes away at 95". The Indian Express. 30 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "4th IFFI". 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Berlinale 1981: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  24. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ "Stellar Publishers". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  27. ↑ "51st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  28. ↑ "Annual Convocation". University of Calcutta. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012.
  29. ↑ "Academy invites record 774 new members; 39 percent female, 30 percent people color". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 June 2017. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

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