Mumbai: A true legend of Indian cinema, famous filmmaker and screenwriter Shyam Benegal passed away on Monday at the age of 90. The filmmaker breathed his last at 6:38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, where he was undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease. ,
As news of his demise spread, members of the film industry expressed grief and shared how much he meant to Indian cinema and to them personally.
Veteran actor Raza Murad described Benegal as “a diamond” whose contributions changed Indian filmmaking and also talked about the iconic films made by Benegal.
Speaking to ANI, Murad said, “We have lost a gem. In the 1970s, when most films were about bandits or revenge, a new star of parallel cinema emerged. That star was Shyam Benegal.”
Actor-director Ravi Khemu also spoke about his personal loss. Speaking on how Benegal shaped his career, he said, “Shyam ji is no longer with us. It’s a big blow to the film industry and a very personal loss for me. When I first came to Bombay The only director I had worked with was Shyam Benegal. So, when I heard this news yesterday, it felt like the ground had slipped from under my feet.”
Benegal’s films including Ankur, Nishant, Manthan and Bhumika established him as a pioneer of the Indian parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Benegal honored with National Film Award
Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times and received the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Born on December 14, 1934 in Hyderabad into a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family, Benegal collaborated extensively with FTII and NSD actors, including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Amrish Puri. .
Addressing relevant socio-political themes with remarkable depth, his films left a lasting impact on audiences. His most recent project, Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), was an India-Bangladesh co-production depicting the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. The biographical film, shot extensively in both the countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, added another feather to his cap.
Apart from feature films, Benegal also made significant contributions to documentaries and television. His iconic series Bharat Ek Khoj and Samvidhan remain standards in Indian television.
He also served as Director of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) from 1980 to 1986 and was a member of prestigious juries including the 14th Moscow International Film Festival (1985) and the 35th National Film Awards (1988).
