“Mrinal da lived a complete life. He was like a teacher to me even though he never taught me at the Film and Television Institute of India. He always treated me as a younger brother and it was a close relationship even outside of cinema,” said auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan who was recently in Delhi for ‘The Absence Trilogy: A Tribute to Mrinal Sen’, where Mrinal Sen’s films were screened at India Habitat Centre.
The retrospective showcased three of Sen’s masterpieces: Ekdin Pratidin, Kharij and Ekdin Achanak. Considered amongst his best works, these are sensitive portrayals of the middle-class psyche. Each in its own way deals centrally with the idea of absence.
Issues raised in his films are still potent enough to generate conversations after film screenings. “The generation after him is indebted to him because he has given Indian cinema a completely new ground. His work has paved way for future filmmakers to explore society and its values,” asserted Adoor.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan with Mrinal Sen and Rajiv Mehrotra | Photo Credit: PTI
“He never stopped making films and kept on working even when most of his contemporaries retired. Throughout his career, he never thought of money or fame. He did not even have a flat of his own. Later in life, his son gifted him a flat,” added Adoor.
Somebody who spread joyous vibes around him, Adoor said Sen was not worried about anything. “He was completely immersed in his ideas and his films.”
Sen will also be remembered for his political films which propelled audience to question the system. His Calcutta trilogy saw the city through an astute political lens.
“He was a man of high integrity because he believed in humanism. He did not become a member of any party which showed that he kept his freedom to himself. I call Mrinal Sen, Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, a troika, a Russian vehicle propelled by three horses, which is an apt comparison for three filmmakers who took India cinema to great heights,” summed up Adoor.