Film producer Shyam Benegal was cremated with full state honours.

A procession passes by for the funeral of Shyam Benegal at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Yogini

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of the parallel cinema movement in Indian cinema during the 1970s and 1980s, was cremated with full state honors and a three-gun salute on Tuesday. Benegal is known for films like sprout, Market, NishantAnd PassionDied in a hospital on Monday due to chronic kidney disease.

The last rites of the filmmaker, who celebrated his 90th birthday on December 14, were performed at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar around 3 pm.

Benegal’s contemporaries, colleagues and the younger generation of actors and artistes at the funeral of Shyam Benegal at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Yogini

Benegal’s contemporaries, colleagues and the younger generation of actors and artists joined his wife Neera and daughter Pia in paying their last respects to the icon whose films vividly reflected the many realities of India.

Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapoor, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Ila Arun, who acted in many of Benegal’s films, were present to bid farewell to the director.

Naseeruddin Shah at the funeral of Shyam Benegal in Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Yogini

Actor Ratna Pathak Shah, her son Vivaan Shah, writer-poet Gulzar, director Hansal Mehta, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, and actors Divya Dutta, Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor and Anang Desai were also present.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, whose Film Heritage Foundation recently restored Benegal’s 1976 classic churn Was also present for the screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

Gulzar commented that what Benegal brought to cinema was a revolution that would never be repeated.

Gulzar at Shyam Benegal’s funeral in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Yogini

“He has not gone; We walked past him and bid him farewell. He brought a revolution and he has walked with that revolution of change in cinema. No one will be able to bring that wave of revolution again. Gulzar said, we will remember him for a long time and will keep talking about him. PTI,

Actor Shreyas Talpade, who played the lead role in Benegal’s satire welcome to sajjanpurSaid that the film remains one of his most memorable shooting experiences because of the director.

“I was a changed person after returning from the film shoot. I think we will miss his conversations the most. Whenever he spoke, he mesmerized us. This is a huge loss,” Talpade said.