ADIEU Mrinal Sen: Always Being Born

A career spanning for more than six decades, Mrinal 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. Adieu Sir.

Dadasaheb Falke winner Mrinal 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, but 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.

Mrinal Sen and his films have received awards at numerous national and international film festivals such as Karlovy Vary, Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Moscow. He has also served as a member of the Jury at various prestigious international film festivals. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2003. The French government has decorated him with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, the highest honour conferred by the country. In 2001, The Russian government honoured him with the Order of Friendship. Mrinal Sen is also a Padma Bhushan recipient and was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2005 for his immense contribution to Indian cinema.

Always Being Born, Mrinal Sen’s memoirs, was published in 2004.

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