Mrinal-da's son calls him bondhu: Nandita Das

Six actresses, who worked with Mrinal Sen, share the director's quirky traits...
Nandita Das Not too many people know that Mrinal-da's son Kunal-da calls him 'bondhu' and not baba. There are such wonderful stories that Mrinal-da loves to share. One such story was about his sons childhood when the little one didn't want to return home from a pandal. Mrinalda then went and whispered something in his ears.When boudi asked him what he had said, Mrinal-das reply was: I told him that if he didn't return, I would go and dance on stage. Hearing that, the boy had rushed back home.
Mrinal Speak Kunal and I call each other bondhu because we want to be friends. Even his friends and my daughter-in-law also address me this way.
Mamta Shankar Once before attending a film festival abroad, Mrinal-da had decided that it was hightime for him to have an affair. Kichhu ekta gondogol korte hobe eibar. But just before leaving for the airport, boudi (Gita Sen) offered him a needle and thread saying: Take these along should you need them in case of any emergency. Mrinal-da, in all good humour, would tell us that this one needle and thread actually jeopardized his chances of falling for any actress. He knew he wouldn't get anyone as caring as boudi!
Mrinal Speak My friend had insisted that I do a bit of 'gondogol'. I even wanted to indulge but for this needle and thread that came in the way!
Sreela Majumder I remember a funny incident while shooting at the MLA hostel for Parasuram. Whenever he would enter someone's room, he would pick up the matchboxes. So, by dinner time, there would be at least 14/15 matchboxes in his stock. Author Mohit Chattopadhyay had even told everyone in the unit that Mrinal-da had this habit of lifting matchboxes and that everyone in the unit should go and take their respective matchboxes from him.
Mrinal Speak Yes, I have this habit of lifting matchboxes and Gita often gets furious because she can't find the matchboxes in her kitchen!
Madhabi Mukhopadhyay After returning from an international film festival at Cannes, he said women out there were very liberal. In his own language, he had said: Okhane mohilara shob kichhu pore na. Amio tar jonnyo shot ta compose kore phellam matha theke gola porjonto. Just the way directors compose their shots for a frame, he too had done the same thing when he came across these women on the beaches! I loved the humorous way in which he narrated the incident. I wish, he had made a comedy.
Mrinal Speak I couldn't recognize an actress on the beach during this trip because she hardly had any clothes on! At the festival, I had seen her all decked up from head to toe!
Suhasini Mulay Mrinal-da is very scared of ghosts. While shooting for Bhuvan Shome, Utpal-da decided to pull a fast one on him. Back then, I wore long hair and had kept it open. In the darkness, Utpal-da took me in front of Mrinalda's room and knocked on the door. When he came out half-asleep, he got the shock of his life seeing me. Meanwhile, Utpal-da had pinched me and I shrieked out loud. That scared Mrinal-da. Though he had smiled a little, the day after he did say that he wasn't much amused.
Mrinal Speak I have been so scared of ghosts that once while trying to scare my sister by posing as a spirit, I got scared myself!
Gita Sen My husband is perpetually scared of robbers. My son was a few months old and he and I would sleep on the floor. In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the door. It was none other than lighting designer Tapas Sen.But my husband was so scared and thought it was a thief. In fear, he opened the door and shrieked and literally fell over my baby! He would often ask me what I'd do if there was a thief or robber at home. Once a mole was spotted in my kitchen and my husband actually called up someone for help.
Mrinal Speak Yes, I admit that I've always been very scared of robbers and thieves. If I have the faintest idea that there can be a possibility of a robber breaking in, I just shut my eyes.
Compiled by Priyanka Dasgupta