He wouldn’t tell an actor how to act: Kaushik Sen remembers Mrinal Sen on filmmaker’s birth anniversary

Kaushik Sen worked with Mrinal Sen in three films -- Ek Din Pratidin, Chalchitra and

Aamar Bhuvan

. Remembering the

legendary director

on his birth anniversary today, the actor said, “The first time I faced the camera was in 1979 for

Mrinal

jethu’s film, Ek Din Pratidin. I was in Class V then. I still remember I was playing football in our para when Biplab Chattopadhyay came to our house and told my father (

Shyamal Sen

) that Mrinal Sen was looking for a child actor for Ek Din Pratidin. I reluctantly went to Mrinal jethu’s house in Deshapriya Park and that was my first encounter with him. We spoke about football and studies but nothing about acting or films. I played Poltu in

Ek Din Pratidin

and then next year Chalchitra happened. At that time I had no idea that I was working with a stalwart like Mrinal Sen. That realisation came only with time. Mrinal jethu would watch our theatre plays regularly and then discuss it with me. Those sessions used to be very enriching.”
Talking about Mrinal Sen as a director, Kaushik said, “He never used to tell or show an actor how to act as Mrinal jethu liked to see how spontaneous an actor is in front of the camera. He would explain a scene and then leave it to the actor to improvise.”

In 2002, Kaushik worked with the director in Aamar Bhuvan along with Saswata Chatterjee. “The film was shot in Basirhat and then at a studio in

Tollygunge

. Saswata and I used to share the same room in the hotel. Mrinal jethu was an early riser. At the breakfast table, we used to discuss that day’s shoot. But later at the shoot, we would give a shot that was completely opposite of what he shared in the morning. So, he used to constantly improvise. I feel, as an actor, it is my honour and privilege to get a chance to work with a director of his calibre,” added Kaushik.