On Mrinal Sen's 97th birth anniversary, throwback photo with Mithun Chakraborty from sets of 'Mrigaya'

Legendary Bollywood filmmaker Mrinal Sen once said he never knew "where it all will end" but his desire to experiment remained unchanged over the years. The pioneer who brought experimental filmmaking to India was known for taking up non-conventional themes. His films were generally filled with social analysis and psychological drama. His work gained popularity so much so that he bagged four National Film Awards as the best director and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1983. The last of the three iconic filmmakers--Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen passed away in December 2018 at the age of 95, otherwise he would have celebrated his birthday today on May 14.

Mrinal Sen was born in a city called Faridpur which is now in Bangladesh. During his lifetime, he made films in Bengali, Telugu and Odiya languages apart from the ones in Hindi. It was only through his directed film Mrigaya that actor Mithun Chakraborty made his debut film in the industry. On a related note, he also won his first National Film Award as the Best Actor for the art-house drama. Mithun Chakraborty's photo with Mrinal Sen during the shooting of the film is going viral on social media.

Have a look:

Sen's first film was the 1955 release Raat Bhor. It was Sen's second film Neel Akasher Neechey (1959), that first earned him recognition. His film Baishe Srabon (1960) earned Sen international acclaim. His other films in Bengali and Hindi including 'Kolkata Ekattor,' 'Genesis,' 'Kharij,' 'Ek Din Protidin,' 'Akaler Sandhaney,' 'Khandahar,' and 'Antareen' made him gain national and international acclaim.

The 'Maverick Maestro' of the industry also has several documentaries to his credit. He was also a member of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Sen even became a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2003.

Meanwhile, watch a few glimpses from Mithun's Mrigaya here: