Veteran Bengali filmmaker Raja Sen, a three-time National Film Award winner, has died at the age of 71. Sen had been undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital in Kolkata, where he died on Sunday, news agency PTI reported.
Raja Sen dies at 71
Raja Sen, best known for his National Award-winning film Damu, was undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital for multiple health complications and was on ventilator support, according to the PTI report. A doctor at the hospital said the filmmaker’s condition had deteriorated considerably in the last few days. “He had multiple complications, and his condition remained critical despite treatment. He was on ventilator support,” the doctor said.
Raja Sen was initially treated at a private hospital after a back injury, but his condition deteriorated there, following which he developed lung and cardiac complications. Last week, he was shifted to SSKM Hospital, where he later reportedly developed kidney-related complications.
The filmmaker’s prolonged health problems began years ago when he sustained a serious back injury after falling on the set of his film Maya Mridanga. At the time, the injury was not considered serious, but over the years, it affected his mobility.
Raj Sen’s glittering career
Raja Sen began as a documentary filmmaker in the 80s, before finding recognition with his docu feature, Suchitra Mitra, which won the National Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film in 1993. Four years later, he directed his first feature film, Damu. The film, which remains his most popular work, won the National Award for Best Children’s Film. In 1999, he won the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare for Atmiyo Swajan. His films have won laurels at international film festivals as well.
His films included Atmiyo Swajan, Desh, Debipaksha, Krishnakant er will, Laboratory, and Maya Mridanga. His 2002 film Desh featured Jaya Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.
The filmmaker’s death has cast a pall of gloom over the Bengali film and television industry, in which he had worked for several decades.
Sen also made documentaries on several prominent personalities and cultural figures, including Rabindra Sangeet exponent Suchitra Mitra.