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Mrinal Sen, the ‘Maverick Maestro’, passes away aged 95

Mrinal Sen, the ‘Maverick Maestro’ of Indian cinema, died at his home in Bhawanipore this morning. The pioneering filmmaker was 95.

Sen had been suffering from age-related illnesses for a long time. He died of a heart attack at about 10:30am.

As Sen’s son Kunal lives in Chicago, it was his caretaker who was with the legend at his last moment.

According to a report on The Indian Express newspaper’s website, the caretaker called the doctor as he sensed that Sen’s condition was worsening. The doctor declared him dead of a cardiac respiratory failure.

Sen did not want his body to be taken anywhere and hence it has been taken to the Peace Haven mortuary. Kunal Sen is arriving on 2 January 2019 and the funeral has been scheduled for the same day.

The Bengali film industry is mourning his death and several top film personalities flocked at the Sen residence. Mamata Shankar, Anjan Dutt, Saswata Chatterjee, Aparna Sen and many other artistes gathered to pay tribute.

Sen was known for such iconic films as Bhuvan Shome (1969), Padatik (1973), Mrigayaa (1976), Ek Din Pratidin (1979) and Akaler Sandhane (1980). His films were remarkable not just for breaking away from existing genres and styles but for dealing boldly yet sensitively with political issues, turning him into one of the most celebrated Bengali filmmakers of all time.

With Sen’s death, the era of the celebrated Troika of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Sen has finally ended.

Apart from multiple National awards and honours at film festivals around the world, Sen was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 by the government of India.

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