Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday visited the residence of national award winning filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, who died of cardiac arrest earlier this morning, and said that 'Bengal has lost a golden director'.
Banerjee also said that the noted filmmaker's would be taken to Nandan, Kolkata's state-run cinema hall, for mourners to pay their last respects.
"We have lost an ace director. His body will be taken to Nandan at 3:30 p.m., it will be kept there for the next three hours before taking it to Tollygunge' Technician studios at 6:30 p.m. Finally, Rituda will be cremated at the crematorium. This is a sad day for us, but we will pray that his soul rests in peace," she said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has expressed deep shock at the tragic and premature death of the renowned Bengali film director.
"I am deeply shocked by the tragic and premature death of Ghosh. He was a creative genius who gave a new dimension to film making with every film that he was associated with. His films always left a deep imprint on minds of the audiences who were captivated by the honest portrayal of human emotions. Cinema has lost a visionary, as Ghosh was always innovative and bold in undertaking new themes for his films," said Tewari.
"His death has left a void which will be very difficult to fill. I pray to God that his family gathers the necessary strength to overcome this crisis," he added in his condolence message.
Ghosh died of a cardiac arrest at his south Kolkata residence this morning. He was 49.
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He shot to fame with his direction of a children's film 'Hirer Angti' in 1994. His film 'Unishe April' was a national award winner in 1995.
Ghosh's other widely acclaimed films include 'Dahan', 'Asukh', 'Chokher Bali', 'Raincoat', 'Bariwali', 'Antarmahal' and 'Noukadubi'.