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Filmworld

Mrinal Sen's family 'disturbed' over death hoax

Kolkata, June 30 

Rumours of his death prevented filmmaking legend Mrinal Sen from getting a good night's sleep on Wednesday as a section of the twitterati posted reports of the 94-year-old's demise.

"There was a deluge of calls midnight onwards. All of us were disturbed. Sen could not sleep properly on Wednesday night. It is a very distasteful thing to discuss," a caretaker in the Sen household told IANS. Sen lives in Kolkata with his wife Gita.

Netizens set the microblogging platform abuzz with condolences while a section questioned the reports' veracity.

Filmmaker Arindam Sil tried to put the grapevine to rest with his update.

"@suhelseth #MrinalSen is just fine. Please do not believe rumours," Sil tweeted.

According to Sen's caretaker, the ace filmmaker is "doing fine" and had his breakfast and lunch on time.

Regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema in India, Sen's health issues made headlines in recent years.

In December 2015, he underwent a minor hip surgery after slipping and falling in the bathroom.

Despite his age, the nonagenarian has been vocal on raging issues, including the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) appointment controversy. As a former chairman of FTII's governing council, Sen flayed the appointments.

Born on May 14, 1923, in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh), Sen, a Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee, paved the way for parallel cinema in the country with gems like "Ek Din Achanak", "Padatik" and "Mrigayaa".

A recipient of 12 international film awards, Sen was a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association and was instrumental in drawing youth to theatre.