Noted director Tapan Sinha no more

Noted Bangla film director Tapan Sinha, whose cinematic works mostly focused on the struggles of the common men, passed away due to a prolonged illness in Kolkata yesterday at the age of 84.
Sinha, who left behind a son, was suffering from pneumonia and septicaemia, hospital sources said.
His wife Arundhuti Devi, who was an actress, died in 1990.
The filmmaker, who won Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian film industry, entered the film world as a technician. He completed his journey there with 41 films, 19 of which won national awards and laurels from international film festivals in London, Venice, Moscow and Berlin.
An avid follower of American directors like William Wyler and John Ford, his cinematic works were mostly down to earth depictions of the struggles of the common man.
His first film 'Ankush' was released in 1954, a year before Satyajit Ray's 'Pather Panchali', and despite making classics like Kabuliwallah, Ek Doctor Ki Maut, Nirjan Saikate, Haate Bazare and Admi aur Aurat, Sinha is possibly a lesser discussed director compared to his peers.
Kabuliwallah, based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore and with legendary Chhabi Biswas in the title role, won the President's Gold Medal for the best film of the country.
The strong point of Sinha's work was that he was a master storyteller. He never believed in presenting his ideas in a complicated way to his audience. His films were quintessentially focused on middle-class Bangalee life.