Contents
Mrinal Sen
Helping shape Indian parallel cinema through Bhuvan Shome, Calcutta 71 and socially critical Bengali films.
Bhuvan Shome · Calcutta 71
- Born
- 14 May 1923
- Birthplace
- Faridpur, Bangladesh
- Died
- 30 December 2018
More people
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen experimented with film form while examining class conflict and the contradictions of urban middle-class life.
Early life
East Bengal childhood
Born in Faridpur, then in British India.
Physics studies
Moved to Calcutta to study at Scottish Church College and became involved in cultural politics.
Career
- 1955
Directing debut
Made Raat Bhore.
- 1969
Wider breakthrough
The low-budget Bhuvan Shome became a landmark of India's new cinema.
- 1970s
Political experiments
Used fragmented storytelling to examine unrest and inequality in Calcutta.
- 1983
Cannes recognition
Kharij received the Jury Prize.
Selected work
Bhuvan Shome
A rigid railway official's rural encounter unsettles his outlook.
Calcutta 71
Separate stories connect poverty and resistance across decades.
Kharij
A child servant's death exposes a household's moral evasions.
Beyond work
Public service
Served as a nominated member of India's Rajya Sabha.
Film education
Led the Film and Television Institute of India as president during the 1980s.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Cannes: films and awards ↗Photo: Riyaz Ahamed. CC BY 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
