IPTA Plans Mrinal Sen Memorial Museum

Kolkata: The Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), the oldest organisation of theatre activists in the country, plans to set up a Mrinal Sen memorial museum at the deceased filmmaker’s house. Sen died of cardiac arrest yesterday morning at his Padmapukur residence. He was 95.

One of the most prominent filmmakers in Asia, and a pioneer of the alternative cinema movement in India, Sen was associated with the IPTA since before independence. The Khandhar director was a Leftist sympathiser all through his life though he never actively participated in any political campaigns. IPTA, incidentally, is the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India.

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IPTA secretary Dibyendu Chatterjee told the media that Sen’s house has film scripts, books, props and other memorabilia. The filmmaker used these in his films, which can be preserved in a museum in his house, Chatterjee added.

He, however, said that the final decision in this regard will be taken by the filmmaker’s son Kunal Sen once he arrives in the city from Chicago.

That aside, IPTA will organise a commemorative meeting for Mrinal Sen, which will be attended by everybody from the film, music, and theatre fraternity of Kolkata and beyond.