Mrinal Sen, India’s most acclaimed filmmaker after Satyajit Ray, turns 93 today. He is not in good health. He recently underwent a bypass surgery and also had a hip bone fracture. But his mind has not lost its alertness and the ability to appreciate honest and sensible work. He said, “I do not have the fitness to go to auditoriums and watch films regularly. The standards of filmmaking in India have deteriorated compared to the 50s, 60s and 70s. But I have not lost hope. I expect young filmmakers like Kaushik Ganguly, Srijit Mukherjee and Madhur Bhandarkar to take forward the cause of Indian cinema. After viewing Shabdo last year, I personally called and congratulated [director] Kaushik Ganguly.”
Then he recalled the best film directed by his illustrious contemporary Tapan Sinha. “I was watching Khaniker Atithi at Bijoli cinema in the mid-60s. I could not hold back my tears. Tapan Sinha held my hand and asked me to control myself.”
About six-and-a-half decades ago, Sen made his debut as a director with Raat Bhor , which is best forgotten. His subsequent films — Neel Akasher Niche, Baishe Sraban and Punacha — gave him a footing in filmdom, and Bhuvan Shome , in 1969, catapulted him to international stardom.
Sen said, “I never rank or rate my films. It is for viewers and critics to do so. Throughout my career I have focused on socially relevant subjects, never repeating myself. The language of cinema is of prime concern for me. I always abide by it. I am fortunate that my works have received national and international acclaim. I am content with whatever I did and experimented with through the medium of cinema.”
The pathos of Neel Akasher Niche , the freeze shots of Akash Kusum , the political concern of his Kolkata trilogy, Calcutta 71, Interview and Padatik , the concept of film-within-a-film in Akaler Sandhane and the poetic lighting in Khandar are ample proof of Mrinal Sen’s versatility and commitment to cinema. Does he like to be termed a political film maker? He smiled and said, “No. Can you brand Satyajit Ray, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman or David Lean? Certainly not. I am an optimist and a humanist and have tried to project this through my works.”
Last year Sen paid tribute to his idol Sir Charles Chaplin by penning My Chaplin . He said, “Filmmakers like Chaplin and Sergei Eisenstein are born rarely. Like so many filmmakers around the world, I have been deeply influenced by Chaplin. As Jean Renoir put it, the three best directors of the world were Chaplin, Chaplin and Chaplin.”
According to Sen, the best piece of work by Satyajit Ray is Aparajita. How does he feel remembering those golden days when he, along with Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, brought glory to Indian cinema? Mrinal Sen thought for a while and answered, “We shared a mutual set of unspoken ethics and had deep regard for each other. We were not rivals. Those days will never come back.”
