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 dealt with social and political themes. His second film Neel Akasher Nichey was banned by the Government for two months in 1958. In most of his films he discussed the complexities of the middle class urban life of Bengal in depth. He also made films in Oriya, Telugu and Hindi. Mrinal Sen won the National award for best film four times. His films were screened in a number of International film festivals and also won several awards. He has served as a jury member at the Cannes International Film Festival.