KOLKATA: Satyajit Ray, was the first to have pioneered Bengali Cinema. Several others like Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen followed. And there were many others, but there was just one who could match up to the legends – Rituparno Ghosh, the man who left a lasting impression through his visual canvas.

Sadly, with Rituparno Ghosh’s sudden demise, all we have are memories of his cinematic brillance. The multiple award winning director-actor, passed away at Kolkata due to a cardiac arrest. He was 49.

From a modest beginning as an advertisement film maker, Rituparno Ghosh, fondly called as Ritu Da, went on to make his first feature film ‘Hirer Angti’ in 1994. Since than he made movies like ‘Dahan’, ‘Chitrangda’, ‘Antar Mahal’, ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Bariwali’, which won him several National & Internatonal awards. He also made ‘The Last Lear’ with Amitabh Bachchan in English, which also won him the Nation Award for Best Film in English.

Although his contribution remained confined to Bengali cinema, his first in Hindi cinema came in the form of ‘Raincoat’  starring Ajay Devgn & Aishwarya Rai in the lead. The film did not work at the box office but Rituparno Ghosh had marked his presence in Bollywood. ‘Sunglass’ would have been his next Bollywood outing but because of his unfortunate demise, it remains an unfinished venture.

Rituparno Ghosh was not only a great director but also a great actor. He just acted in three films namely  ‘Arekti Premer Golpo’, ‘Memories in March’, ‘Chitrangda’, but in all these films, Ritu Da left a lasting impression.

Rituparno Ghosh never shied away from experimenting on human relationships, which were the basic element in many of his films. Of the twenty films he made over a span of two decades, most were women centric in nature, some a, reflection of his own life. Some of the bold themes he explored in his films dealt with gender and sexuality.

Of the twenty films, twelve films won him the prestigious National Award. While Bengali cinema, might have lost one of their finest filmmakers, Indian cinema has lost a great icon. Bollywood stars also have expressed their condolences through social networking site Twitter.

Anupam Kher:-

Rituparno Ghosh had great sense of humour. He had a brilliant understanding of human behaviour. Will miss him and his cinema. RIP my Friend.

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) May 30, 2013

Shekhar Kapur:-

Shocked by passing of Rituparno Ghosh. He was dreaming of getting into what he called his ‘next phase’. Hugely creative explorer on film

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) May 30, 2013

Farhan Akhtar:-

Shocked to hear about the untimely passing of Rituparno Ghosh. RIP. Condolences to the family.

— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) May 30, 2013

Neha Dhupia:-

Sad to hear the news … RIP Rituparno Ghosh… My condolences to the family.

— Neha Dhupia (@Neha_Dhupia) May 30, 2013

Arjun Rampal:-

Rituparno always with such energy and life, can’t believe won’t see him again. Will miss him too much.

— arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) May 30, 2013

Abhishek Bachchan:-

Absolutely shocked with the news of the passing of Ritu da. A dear friend and a great director and a wonderful, wonderful human. #RIPRituda

— Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) May 30, 2013

Dia Mirza:-

RIP Rituparno Ghosh….Condolences to the family.

— dia mirza (@deespeak) May 30, 2013

Rest in peace Rituparno Ghosh. Your contribution to cinema will solely be missed.