Mrinal Sen entered the world of arts through Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA) in 1943. He made his first film 'Raat Bhor' in 1956. Deeply influenced by the leftist ideology, most of his films deal with socio-political themes and the complexities of life of the urban middle class of Bengal. His second film, 'Neel Akasher Nichey' was banned by the government for two months in 1958. Though he predominantly worked in Bengali cinema, Sen also made films in the Odia, Telugu and Hindi languages. He won the National Award for Best Film four times and his films were screened at various international film festivals that bestowed accolades upon him. Sen also served as a jury member at the Cannes International Film Festival.