Hoax of Mrinal Sen's death goes viral on Twitter
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Twitter went abuzz with rumours about the passing away of the legendary filmmaker since last evening.
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Even best-selling author Amitav Ghosh thought the hoax messages to be true and tweeted: "Sad to hear of Mrinal Sen's passing. His Bhuvan Shome & Akaler Sandhane were milestones of Indian cinema".
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When contacted, Sen's family said they have been getting regular calls from well-wishers asking about his health ever since the hoax went viral.
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A family member said the 94-year-old filmmaker, whose mobility has been restricted due to age-related illness for a long time, is doing fine.
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Regarded as a pioneer of the alternative cinema movement in India, Sen has won four National Film Awards as the best director for works like "Khandhar" (1984) and "Bhuvan Shome" (1969).
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In 2005, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema.
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He has also been awarded with Padma Bhushan by Indian government while the French government awarded him Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, their highest civilian honour.