Mrigayaa, Akash Kusum, Akaler Sandhane – 5 Mrinal Sen Films That You Can’t Do Without

Noted Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen passed away at the age of 95 on December 30. According to a report in Anandbazaar Patrika, the filmmaker died around 10:30 am on Sunday morning at his home in Bhawanipore, Kolkata. Reportedly, Sen had been suffering from age-related ailments for a long time. Sen is considered to be one of the greatest ambassadors of Indian parallel cinema at an international level. He, who had his priorities set, never shied away from showing the harsh realities of the world in his cinema. Moreover his films were not just restricted to the Bengali language, in fact he has even made his first Telugu film Oka Oori Katha in 1977. Iconic Filmmaker Mrinal Sen Dies at 95; Mamata Banerjee, Mohanlal, Onir Take to Social Media to Express Condolences

Also, Bollywood's superstar Mithun Chakraborty marked his debut in 1976 with Sen's Mrigayaa. The film was an attempt to expose the cruelties faced by the Indians of tribal origins and how they were exploited by the wealthy landlords. The film not only won Mithun the National Award for Best Actor and Sen too was awarded the Best Film Award.

And while it'll take a long time for fans, family members and the members of the film fraternity, to cope up with the loss, here's a list of 5 memorable films of the filmmaker.

Take a look!

Akash Kusum (1965)

Akash Kusum is a 1965 Bengali film, which was remade in Hindi as Manzil in 1979. It a story of the longings of a middle class executive to rise in stature and greater social acceptability. A young man Soumitra Chaterjee, who is trying to find a place in the corporate world, puts up an innocent bluff to a young girl Aparna Sen he chances upon. However, he suffers for his deception in the long run.

Bhuvan Shome (1969)

Utpal Dutt and Suhasini Mulay starrer Bhuvan Shome is a 1969 film, based on a Bengali story by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. It a story about a lonely bureaucrat, who goes on a holiday to a Gujarat village, where a young peasant woman helps him see beyond his job and develop a newfound empathy for people. The film is considered a landmark in modern Indian cinema.

Calcutta 71 (1972)

Sen's Calcutta 71 is considered to be the second film of his Calcutta trilogy, while the others being Interview, and Padatik. Calcutta 71 is a collection of stories depicting the Seventies, where the Naxalite activity, starvation of common people, social and political corruption are shown. The film, that  narrates the violence and corruption throughout ages, won the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film.

Mrigayaa (1976)

Bollywood's superstar Mithun Chakraborty marked his debut with Sen's 1976 film 'Mrigayaa'. Actress Mamata Shankar too made her cinematic debut through the film. Bankrolled by K Rajeshwara Rao, Mrigayaa is based on a short story by Bhagbati Charan Panigrahi, called 'Inaam'. The film portrays the relationship between the British colonialists and native villagers, and their exploitation by Indian landlords in 1920s India. Mrigayaa also depicts the friendship between a British administrator, who has a flair for game hunting, and a native tribal, who is an expert archer.

Akaler Sandhane (1980)

The 1980 film Akaler Sandhane documents the convivial life among the film crew and the hazards, problems and tension of film making on location. This beautiful film won many awards in that year like, National Film Award for Best Feature Film, National Film Award for Best Direction, National Film Award for Best Screenplay, National Film Award for Best Editing and 31st Berlin International Film Festival - Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize. Watch this space for further updates.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2018 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).