Mrinal Sen hardly needs any introduction as his films are responsible for starting the ‘new cinema’ movement in India. Although he was born in Faridpur, Bangladesh, he soon moved to Kolkata and his undying love for the city is evident in his films. A student of Physics, Sen one day came across a book on film aesthetics which sparked his love for movies. He always tried to work professionally as a film representative, and very soon he left everything behind to pursue his passion.
Many of his films feature Kolkata prominently. He managed to bring the very essence of the city he loved so much on screen. In his films, his love for Kolkata is not only evident but tangible. Being an ardent follower of Marxist philosophy and he never shied away from showing the social context and its political influence of his time.
There’s a little known story that Sen himself revealed to Samik Bandopadhyay in an interview. While working on his film ‘Bhuvan Shome’ he was looking for a new voice. He came across a young man, who was working for Khwaja Ahmed Abbas’ film ‘Saat Hindustani’. Mrinal Sen told the young man, “Your Bengali is lousy but your voice is great. My film is in Hindi. The title is Bengali and the protagonist is also Bengali. I need your voice for a few words a little after the movie begins and then a little bit again, towards the end. Are you willing?”
Sen had to trade Utpal Dutta with director Abbas for this young man. After filming concluded, the young artist refused to get paid as it was his first film. But Sen insisted. The three hundred rupees from Sen were his first earning in the film industry. When the director asked him for his name for the credit line in ‘Bhuvan Shome,’ he simply said ‘Amitabh’. Sen said that at that point he was still undecided about whether he would keep the ‘Bachchan’ part of it.
Not only Amitabh Bacchan, but film legend Uttam Kumar worked in Mrinal Sen’s first feature film ‘Raat Bhore’ (1955). At the time, neither Kumar nor Sen had made a name for themselves and the film was a let-down. It was not until next film, ‘Neel Akasher Neechey’ (1958) which earned him local recognition. His third film ‘Baishey Shravan’ (1960), was the first film that gave him international exposure.
Sen was a national award-winning director and recipient of Padma Bhusan award. He had also been conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke in 2003. He has left a lasting legacy in the world of cinema. His films are an invaluable part of Bengali film culture and have inspired countless other filmmakers that came after him. The accidental filmmaker will be remembered and revered as a revolutionary for as long as cinema survives.
