Celebrating Rituparno Ghosh

One of India's most versatile and talented filmmakers, Rituparno Ghosh - who died in Kolkata on May 30 - would have been 50 today. Credited with ushering in a new wave of Bengali cinema with trailblazing films like Unishe April and Dahan, the director-turned-actor was known for celebrating women besides exploring the touchy subject of same sex relationships.

Here's a pictorial look at his journey on his birth anniversary.

Rituparno Ghosh was born in Kolkata on August 31, 1963. His father was a documentary filmmaker and Rituparno grew up in a world of movies. He went to Kolkata's South Point School and then studied economics at Jadavpur University.

After a short stint in advertising, Rituparno directed his first film Hirer Angti (1994) starring Moon Moon Sen.

His second film Unishe April (1995), starring Aparna Sen and Debashree Roy, won the National Award for Best Feature Film.

Rituparno followed up the critical and commercial success of Unishe April with a string of acclaimed films including Dahan (1997) starring Rituparna Sengupta and Indrani Haldar. They shared the National Award for Best Actress for their performances as a victim of molestation and a teacher who rushes to help.

Bariwali (1999) starred Kirron Kher as a lonely, middle-aged widow whose life is turned upside down when she opens her home to a film crew. Kirron Kher's performance fetched her the National Award

Titli (2002) starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Shubho Mahurat (2003) starring Raakhee and Sharmila Tagore cemented Rituparno Ghosh's reputation as Bengal's brightest young filmmaker.

The blockbuster Chokher Bali (2003) starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in one of her most acclaimed roles. She also starred in Rituparno's Hindi language film Raincoat with Ajay Devgn.

Rituparno directed Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta in English film The Last Lear (2007).

His swan song was Chitrangada (2012) which won a special jury National Award this year. The film, which Rituparno also starred in, was seen as semi-autobiographical and mirrored the director-actor's own struggle with gender and identity.

Rituparno Ghosh also acted in the films Arekti Premer Golpo and Memories In March. He made a successful foray into television as the host of two celebrity chat shows.