KOLKATA/MUMBAI: Filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, known for his sensitive portrayal of interpersonal relationships, died in Kolkata yesterday of a heart attack. He was 49.
Ghosh first caught the attention of cinema lovers in the 1990s with a clutch of films made in his native Bengali language. His work, often showcased on the Western film festival circuit, resonated with global audiences with memorable and strong women characters. Stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgn featured in some of his later films.
“Shocked and deeply grieved ... loss of a great creative mind,” Bachchan said. Bachchan, who worked with Ghosh in the 2007 English-language film The Last Lear, said he had spoken to the director recently about a new film they were planning.
Born in 1963, Ghosh started his career in advertising and made his movie debut with a children’s film Hirer Angti (The Diamond Ring). Ghosh won a dozen national film awards, including the best feature film honour for Unishe April (19 April) in 1995. His film Chokher Bali (Sand in the Eye), starring Aishwarya Rai, was nominated for the Golden Leopard, the top prize at the Locarno Film Festival in 2003.
AFP
