An exhibition of photographs from the life and career of filmmaker Mrinal Sen opened on the Tagore Theatre premises on Saturday as part of the 28th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan inaugurated the exhibition that has some rare photographs from the sets of Sen’s films as well as from his personal moments and from public appearances. A collection of posters of some of his films are also part of the exhibition.
Occupying a wide frame at the centre is a portrait of Sen and Satyajit Ray deep in conversation amid a pile of books. Another rare photograph has Sen in a discussion with writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Several photographs from Sen’s many visits to Kerala, especially for the Filmotsav in Nishagandhi in 1988, also form part of the collection.
When the Chalachitra Academy instituted the Lifetime Achievement award as part of the IFFK in 2009, there was not much debate on who should be the first recipient. Sen, in his eighties then, had stopped making films, but he came down to the city to receive the award. Photographs from the event are also part of the exhibition.
