Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema, passes away at 90

Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema, passes away at 90

Shyam Benegal at his office in Mumbai.

Shyam Benegal at his office in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema and one of the guiding lights of the Parallel Cinema movement, passed away due to kidney-related ailments in Mumbai on December 23. He was 90.

Benegal, celebrated for poignant and hard-hitting films like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan and Zubeidaa, examined the main fault lines of Indian society, tackling issues of feudalism, caste, and women’s emancipation while ceaselessly experimenting with the cinematic form. His vast filmography boasts several masterpieces that altered the course of Indian cinema. While working frequently with state support, he produced several of his own films under the banner of Sahyadri Films.

Benegal was admitted to ICU in Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai. His daughter, Pia Benegal, confirmed the news of his death to told PTI: “He passed away at 6.38 p.m. at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That’s the reason for his death,” she said.

Also Read | Memories of a hometown: Shyam Benegal

Known for his unflagging energy and intellect, Benegal worked across a range of media, using photography, film, theatre and long-form television to chronicle the journey of post-Independence India. He was born in Hyderabad in 1934; his paternal grandmother hailed from Indian director Guru Dutt’s family; they were thus second cousins. After an early career in advertising, Benegal taught at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and made documentaries, directing his first feature, Ankur, in 1974. A moving tale of class and caste, the film featured Shabana Azmi in her debut release.

Throughout his career, Benegal formed a formidable partnership with Govind Nihalani as his cinematographer and Vanraj Bhatia as his music composer, and would soon assemble a coterie of now-legendary actors: Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Anant Nag, Om Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, K. K. Raina and others. A particularly fruitful collaboration was his bond with Shashi Kapoor, who starred in Junoon (1978) and Kalyug (1981). He was the flame to which all were drawn.

Also Read | No such thing as retiring as a filmmaker: Shyam Benegal

Even as the nation and its cinema transformed, Benegal continued to work, carving out in a niche in mainstream Bollywood. He was a gentle, inspiring presence at his Tardeo office, and at several national and international film festivals and forums. The recipient of multiple national awards, he was conferred the Padma Shri and the Badma Bhushan, India’s fourth and third-highest civilian awards.

His late career output brimmed with biopics and satire: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Well Done Abba. In 2023, after a significant break, he released Mujib: The Making of a Nation, a biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

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