Mumbai: After the news of the tragic demise of famous filmmaker Shyam Benegal, pictures from his 90th birthday celebration have resurfaced online.
The heart-touching images serve as a poignant reminder of the iconic director’s enduring legacy and the lives he touched. The late filmmaker celebrated his birthday on December 14 with a party attended by Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapoor, Atul Tiwari and other Bollywood celebrities.
On the 90th birthday of Shyam Benegal with some of his artists Mashaallah pic.twitter.com/cnDrjAphf2– Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) 15 December 2024
A group photo from the celebration shared by Shabana Azmi on X has gone viral. Sharing the photo, Azmi captioned it, “On the 90th birthday of #ShyamBenegal with my co-actor from many films and my favorite actor @Naseeruddinshah. Why aren’t more people taking us together?
Shyam Benegal died on 23 December at the age of 90. He breathed his last at around 6:30 pm at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. His daughter Pia Benegal confirmed the news.
Condoling his demise, filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared a photo of Benegal and wrote, “One of the last of our great filmmakers. Get well, Shyam Babu. Thank you for inspiring many people like me. Thanks for the cinema. Thank you for giving such wonderful dignity to difficult stories and flawed characters.
Known for his iconic and award-winning films like “Ankur,” “Bhumika,” “Manthan,” and “Nishant,” Benegal leaves behind a rich legacy in Indian cinema. She made her feature film debut in 1974 with “Ankur” starring Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi. The critically acclaimed film earned him the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film, cementing his reputation as a pioneer in Indian cinema.
His final directorial work, “Mujib: The Making of a Nation” (2023), details the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Benegal had received several National Awards for films including “Bhumika: The Role,” “Junoon,” “Aarohan,” “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero” and “Well Done Abba.”
