NEW DELHI: News reports say Indian film director Rituparno Ghosh, whose work includes award-winning films in the Bengali language, has died of cardiac arrest at age 49.

Press Trust of India quoted his family as saying Ghosh died on Thursday at his home in the eastern city of Kolkata.

Ghosh directed around 20 feature films in the Bengali language, and many earned awards. He first shot to fame by his direction of a children's film 'Hirer Angti' in 1994. His film 'Unishe April' went on to win the national film award in 1995.

Other widely acclaimed films of Ghosh include 'Dahan', 'Asukh', 'Chokher Bali', 'Raincoat', 'Bariwali', 'Antarmahal' and 'Noukadubi'.

His 2007 creation, ''The Last Lear'', in the English language, centered on a retired actor who is persuaded to return to cinema to reprise the lead role in a production of Shakespeare's ''King Lear''.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan starred in the film that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.