Rituparno Ghosh passes away today morning of a heart attack

Acclaimed National Award winning Bengali director and actor, Rituparno Ghosh passed away today morning in Kolkata. He was 49 and was suffering from pancreatitis. Reports suggest that he died of a massive heart attack at 7:30 AM today morning. Ghosh was one of the most celebrated directors of contemporary cinema and was seen by many as the long-term successor of Satyajit Ray.

He was always considered a director who was far ahead of his times; dealing with tales of homosexuality, the search for personal gender identity and queer identity movies that were a metaphor for his own sexual transformation (he was a transgender who identified as a woman). One of his last movies was based on Chitrangada (the Mahabharata princess who was one of Arjun's wives but was raised as a man). Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rituparno Ghosh won the National Film Award for Best Director for his Bengali film 'Abohoman'. Rituparno Ghosh had won 12 national awards in the course of his career.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack also known as a myocardial infarction is usually caused due to the interruption of blood supply to the heart which causes heart cells to die. This is mostly due to blockage of a coronary artery which is caused by plaque. If left untreated it usually leads to death. Some of the symptoms include feeling a tight band around the chest, shooting pains up and down the left side of your body, anxiety, cough, fainting, heavy pressure, palpitations, shortness of breath and sweating. If you have symptoms of a heart attack, call your local emergency number right away.