Mrinal Sen, the infantry: The sensible auteur who expressed the royal emotions in ruins By Prabuddha Ghosh

(A tribute to the Legend Birth Centenary of Mrinal Sen 14-05-1923 to 14-05-2023)

Ordinary individuals who like watching films regard cinema as a form of entertainment. They can escape reality for a brief while by immersing themselves in a fictional story with their characters. But when those fictitious characters suddenly unmask to reveal themselves as ordinary individuals discussing the same reality, cinema will no longer be only a form of entertainment. Many directors in Bengal and India have created films for entertainment purposes. They developed films for the majority of the audience to provide entertainment and a temporary respite from the current situation. However, very few filmmakers pushed all the boundaries and created films as both a source of amusement and a means of depicting reality. Mrinal Sen was one of these great directors who provided a revival to Indian cinema.

Mrinal Sen was adamantly opposed to nostalgia and never participated in it. He enjoyed narrating stories about his upbringing in Faridpur (Currently in Bangladesh), but these were not nostalgic tales, and, unlike many of his contemporaries, he was unaffected by the Partition. He came to Calcutta of his own accord and made it his home.

His films, however, were heavily influenced by time, both present and past. As he frequently stated, he was motivated by time and reacted to his socio-political environment. It is believed that he also had a great sense of history and attempted to see things in historical context only. 

 

He witnessed Rabindranath Tagore's death while still a college student in Calcutta. He went to attend his funeral procession, as did many of others. In the midst of the chaos, he spotted a father desperately attempting to carry the dead body of a small child to the incinerator. He was shoved around by the crowd. Many years later, he made a film called Baishe Shravan (the 22nd day of Shravana), commemorating Tagore's death. In the film, that was the day the couple were married. People sometimes asked why he chose that specific date, and I believe it was because of this memory of his, in which the death of Tagore meant nothing to that one person.

In his own words, “By accident, a maker of films, I am what I am. My city, mercilessly maligned and dangerously loved, in a way, is a state of my mind. Good or bad, yes or no, they know me as an iconoclast. Among them, some are of the opinion that I am always out to attack cherished beliefs and traditional institutions without any cause. only to sound important and look likewise. I am not quite sure if, what they say, is true. If it is so, why then, only the other day, just a few years back, when they decided to rename my city, theirs too, I opposed? They say, it was a name given by the one-time colonial masters. I say, so what! I ask, is that how you want to fight the colonial legacy?”

That’s He, Mrinal Sen: his 'Rambling Thoughts' on Enigmatic Ruins and Life, everyday life. To tell the truth, he had no interest in cinema at first. True, he had encounters - once or twice at first, and watched them 'wide-eyed' and 'open-mouthed' for the marvel of the talking-pictures. Later, he accompanied friends or family members to see at least half-dozen flicks. He never counted the number because the viewing impression did not stay long for reasons he never wanted to investigate. Even when he moved to the big city, he didn't become an addict; he wasn't even a regular moviegoer. “There was much for me to do or get involved in in the city. Reading was one such activity. Reading what? Everything”, that was his reply.

He had unlimited interest in everything, wanted to know all from a very intense angle of an intelligent man but from the perspective of a commoners though. Nothing in particular! All that he could catch hold of minus any particular direction, minus any specialisation — history, philosophy, sociology, politics, religion, literature, plays, poetry, art… All, what not!

He read a few of Karl Marx essays one week and Friedrich Nietzsche's play, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the next week. By chance, he came across a book on cinema and its aesthetics named Film, penned by one Rudolf Arnheim, a jewel of a written piece. Partially he understood, partially he was perplexed, confused. Then he read the complete stock available in the (now) National Library on movie aesthetics, perception, philosophy and sociology in three to four months.

After reading it all, he felt that he had learned enough. At that time, I started wandering around the city's theatres and watching films of different genres, not even sure if they were worth watching. Through various channels, including foreign consulates and later Calcutta Film Society. “I gradually became exposed to world cinema and became a full-time activist. I felt the need to develop a new language. New cinema!”, he explained. 

Journey began, with this attitude and understanding he gifted us films from 1955 to 2002, nearly half a century. With enormous thought provoking ideas Mrinal Sen has created numerous characters and unparalleled stories to give commoner a newer reflection of the then contemporary society.

Mrinal Sen brought some unique and innovative structures to Indian cinema from European cinema and French 'new wave' cinema. Thus, Mrinal Sen's great intellect and brilliant skill are revealed when it was really needed in the context of his films. He has won numerous national and international awards. Famous film festivals such as Cannes and Venice have also praised his films and he has been selected as a jury member several times. He believed Cannes to be his "second home". Sen's influence on today's filmmakers is immeasurable. In fact, Sen was a visionary storyteller who liked to take risks. He experimented with new ideas and techniques in the world of cinema and revolutionized the history of cinema. Whether it was a socio-political opinion or the story of an ordinary man, he expressed it fearlessly and honestly in his films.

We all heartily salute this great filmmaker on his birth centenary (14-05-2023) and feel proud that he represented India and made the country proud.

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