'Calcutta always runs in extremes' says Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen, in Kolkata

From the archive record

The many facets of the city and its inherent contradictions are fodder for the artists who thrive and find inspiration in this millennium. The incredibly rich cultural heritage of Calcutta shaped by the Bengal renaissance of the late 19th century influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's genius and honed by his contemporaries finds manifestation in the Bengali films. Mrinal Sen in more ways than one is a refugee in the city. He came from east Bengal where he was born yet over the years he has grown to love the city of his adoption. Although it manages to provoke him constantly. Mrinal Sen says "Calcutta always runs in extremes always in extremes so that is one thing which is likened to me and that is what gives me a lot of inspiration to make films in Calcutta. Since I happen to be a Calcuttan b