KOLKATA: Yesterday, visionary director, actor and gay rights activist Rituparno Ghosh passed away after a cardiac arrest, at his residence in South Kolkata.

His last journey was atop a truck, in a procession attended by many of cinema’s greats like Mrinal Sen, Aparna Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee and many others. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also attended Ghosh’s funeral, and was seen in white.

Hours after Ghosh’s demise, the industry expressed their sorrow of losing a great filmmaker like Rituparno, best known for his sensitive portrayals of the human condition, love and death in films like ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Antar Mahal’, ‘Chitrangada’, ‘Memories in March’ and many others.

The Shehenshah of Indian cinema too, Amitabh Bachchan expressed his grief upon hearing the news.

“I have no words for the grief which I am feeling today. The country has lost a great artist,” Bachchan said.

Having worked together in ‘The Last Lear’, Bachchan said he was shocked at Ghosh’s sudden demise. He said: “We had spoken on the phone a few days back about a film which we wanted to make together.”