His lens empathetic, rooted to the Indian reality and always political, Shyam Benegal was the arthouse pioneer who rewrote the rules of cinema with films such as “Ankur”, “Nishant” and “Bhumika” that blazed an alternate path to mainstream movies.

The pioneer of parallel cinema, one of India’s greatest directors whose work found an audience in the most discerning of global film circles, died in a Mumbai hospital on Monday evening. It was just nine days after he celebrated his 90th birthday.

Benegal, who burst on the scene with his first film “Ankur” in 1974, was a chronicler of India’s times and politics, that rare artiste who worked both in non-fiction and fiction across varied mediums — films, documentaries, biopics and ambitious TV shows.

The title of his debut film, translating to seedling, was perhaps prophetic. “Ankur”, which delves into caste struggles and feudalism in a small village in India, was the first of his more than 25 films that included “Mandi”, “Manthan”, “Junoon”, “Kalyug” and “Zubeidaa”.

The remarkable oeuvre boasts the documentary on another great, “Satyajit Ray, Filmmaker”, and televisions shows, the ambitious “Bharat Ek Khoj”, based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book “Discovery of India”, and “Samvidhaan”, a 10-part serial on the making of the Constitution.

Through his work, which was distinctly different and alternate to mainstream movies as audiences knew till then, Benegal made several stars out of great actors. There was Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Girish Karnad of course. And then there were those stars such as Shashi Kapoor and Rekha who gave arguably their best performances in “Kalyug” and “Vijeta”.

The filmmaking was both deeply personal and inherently political. Telling stories of class and caste struggles, feminist concerns, rural distress and community dynamics. The gaze was incisive, the themes serious and the treatment sometimes sombre and other times satirical.

If “Kalyug” is a modern day retelling of the Mahabharata, “Bhumika” is a searing profile of a woman filmstar and her often exploitative relationships, “Mandi” deals with a brothel and its occupants who deftly navigate the men in their lives and “Welcome to Sajjanpur” about an aspiring novelist turned letter writer is an outright satire.

Fondly called Shyam Babu by friends and colleagues, Benegal was a pillar of meaningful cinema of the 1970s and 1980s alongside Sai Paranjpye, Govind Nihalani, Mani Kaul, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and Kumar Shahani.

Benegal disliked the term “middle cinema” used to bracket his films and preferred that his work be called “new or alternate cinema”.

“I don’t remember who said this: ‘Every social act of yours is also a political act whether you like it or not’,” he told PTI in 2022.

“One has to be as objective as possible and the second point is to be sympathetic. If you are not objective, you are already colouring the story with your subjectivity. Sympathy is necessary. When I say sympathy, I mean empathy so you can be one with the subject,” Benegal said.

His was the cinema of and by the erudite, attracting some of the most talented in the business.

The late playwright Vijay Tendulkar wrote the screenplay “Manthan”, a film on the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat, made with Rs 2 funding from five lakh farmers, and “Nishant”, set in a feudal family. The late music composer Vanraj Bhatia, cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the great theatre director Satyadev Dubey worked with him in multiple films. Girish Karnad wrote the screenplay for “Bhumika” and Ruskin Bond for “Junoon”.

Benegal was understated about his achievements.

“There are people who have done wonderful things. There’s nothing unique in what one has done. You do what you think you want to do. That’s not unique. Climbing Mount Everest is unique,” he said.

Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi was the one personality Benegal explored in all his complexities and significance. In “The Making of the Mahatma”, Rajit Kapoor portrayed Gandhi during his South African years. Gandhi appeared in two episodes of “Bharat Ek Khoj” and was played by Neeraj Kabi in 10-part series “Samvidhaan”. In his biopic on Netaji, 2005’s ” Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero”, the role of Gandhi was enacted by Surendra Rajan.

“It is very difficult to judge or ascertain this but I do believe Gandhi’s influence has been very profound on Indians. It may not necessarily show on the surface but somewhere it has to do with the idea of compassion and a sense of humanity,” he had once said.

The beginnings of the extraordinary career in the moving visual began in advertising.

And it was probably in his genes. Born in Tirumalagiri, now in Telangana, Benegal grew up with cinema around him. His father was a still photographer who also made short films. He was also a second cousin of film legend Guru Dutt. Benegal did his masters in economics from Hyderabad’s Osmania University. He planned to take up teaching but decided against it. The young Benegal soon moved to Mumbai looking for work and initially thought about assisting Guru Dutt but gave up on that as he had his own ideas.

Next, he took up a job as copywriter at an advertising agency. After a while, his agency shifted him to the film department sensing his inclination towards the medium where he began making ad films until becoming a full-time filmmaker. He then made documentaries for the Films Division of India before making his feature film debut with “Ankur”.

He was a much awarded filmmaker. Benegal received many National Awards in his career. He got the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in the field of cinema. Benegal also served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2012.

Unwell with chronic kidney disease and notwithstanding his 90 years, Benegal was unwilling to call it a day.

“I’m working on two to three projects; they are all different from one another. It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen,” Benegal told PTI just last week on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

It was possibly his last interview. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Chairperson of Adani Foundation, Priti Adani, on Monday, said the passing away of one of the pioneers of ‘parallel cinema’ — film-maker and National Award winner Shyam Benegal — marks the end of an era in Indian cinema, adding that his legacy will continue to inspire others.

Taking to X, Priti Adani wrote: “Shyam Benegal’s passing marks the end of an era in Indian cinema. A master storyteller, his films bridged art and reality, giving voice to the unheard and shaping the golden age of parallel cinema. His legacy will continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Om Shanti.”

Shyam Benegal’s passing marks the end of an era in Indian cinema. A master storyteller, his films bridged art and reality, giving voice to the unheard and shaping the golden age of parallel cinema. His legacy will continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Om Shanti …

— Priti Adani (@AdaniPriti) December 23, 2024

Shyam Sunder S. Benegal, a multiple National Award winner and among the pioneers of ‘parallel cinema’ – with silver screen classics like “Junoon”, “Ankur”, “Manthan”, “Zubeida” and “The Making of the Mahatma” – passed away after a long battle with a kidney disease, his family said here on Monday.

A second-cousin brother of the late legend, actor-film-maker Guru Dutt, Benegal was 90 and breathed his last at a private hospital in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife Nira and their daughter Pia.

Conferred the Padma Shri (1976), the Padma Bhushan (1991), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005) and many other national-international honours, Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday (December 14) with many colleagues from the film industry present to meet and greet him.

The details of the last rites are not yet known.

Born in Hyderabad on December 14, 1934, Benegal belonged to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahman lineage, with his photographer-father Sridhar B. Benegal having roots in Karnataka.

At the age of 12, Shyam shot a film using a camera presented by his father, who inspired and nurtured his interest in film-making which became his career for over six decades.

Later, Benegal went on to study MA (Economics), founded the Hyderabad Film Society, and later started his career in 1959 as a copy-writer with Lintas Advertising Agency in Mumbai, where he rose to be the Creative Head, with over 900 ad films and sponsored documentaries under his belt.

In 1962, Benegal made his first Gujarati documentary film, “Gher Betha Ganga” (Ganga At Doorsteps), taught at the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India from 1966-1973, and later served as its Chairman twice (1980-1983 & 1989-1992).

With over 70 documentaries and short films to his credit and a stint in the USA, Benegal made his first full-length Hindi feature film, “Ankur” (1974), that shot him to fame, bagging 3 National Awards, another 43 national-international awards/honours.

Over a film career spanning more than 60 years, Benegal made many classics like “Manthan” (1976), “Bhumika” (1977), “Junoon” and “Kalyug” (1979), “Aarohan” (1982), “Mandi” (1983), “Trikaal” (1985, “Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda” (1993), “The Making of the Mahatma” (1996), “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero” (2005), “Welcome to Sajjanpur” (2008), “Mujib: The Making of a Nation” (2023), to name a few prominent ones.

He also made noteworthy and award-winning documentaries, including on India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, “Jawaharlal Nehru” (1982) and “Nehru” (1985), on the legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray, Tata Steel’s Platinum Jubilee, A Festival of India, Lost Childhood, and many more.

Benegal created memorable television serials like: “Yatra” (1986), “Bharat Ek Khoj” (1988), “Sankranti” (1997), “Samvidhaan” (2014), among several others.

Tributes poured in for Benegal on social media from actors, actresses, producers, directors, his colleagues in the Indian and international film fraternity, media groups and his legion of fans and admirers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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New Delhi:

Photos from legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s 90th birthday celebration have resurfaced online following the news of his death.

The heartwarming images serve as a poignant reminder of the iconic director’s enduring legacy and the lives he touched. The late filmmaker celebrated his milestone birthday on December 14, surrounded by Bollywood celebrities such as Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, and others.

A group photo from the celebration, shared by Shabana Azmi on X, has gone viral. Sharing the photo, Azmi captioned it, “On #ShyamBenegal’s 90th birthday with my co-actor of many films and my favorite actor @NaseeruddinShah. Why aren’t more people casting us together?!”

Some of his actors with Shyam Benegal’s on his 90th birthday Mashallah pic.twitter.com/cnDrjAphf2

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) December 15, 2024

On December 23, Shyam Benegal d at the age of 90. He breathed his last around 6:30 pm at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. His daughter, Pia Benegal, confirmed the news.

Mourning his death, filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared a photo of Benegal and wrote, “Among the last of our great filmmakers. Go well, Shyam Babu. Thank you for inspiring many like me. Thank you for the cinema. Thank you for giving tough stories and flawed characters such amazing dignity.”

Known for his iconic and award-winning films such as “Ankur,” “Bhumika,” “Manthan,” and “Nishant,” Benegal leaves behind a rich legacy in Indian cinema. He made his feature film debut with “Ankur” in 1974, starring Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi. The critically acclaimed film earned the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film, solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer in Indian cinema.

His final directorial work, “Mujib: The Making of a Nation” (2023), chronicled the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Benegal was the recipient of multiple National Awards for films including “Bhumika: The Role,” “Junoon,” “Arohan,” “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero”, and “Well Done Abba.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who heralded the Indian parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s with films such as ‘Ankur’, ‘Nishant’ and ‘Manthan’, died at a Mumbai hospital on Monday, barely a week after celebrating his 90th birthday. 

The filmmaker – who received Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, along with 18 National Film Awards – died due to chronic kidney disease.

His films include ‘Bhumika’, ‘Junoon’, ‘Mandi’, ‘Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda’, ‘Mammo’ and “Sardari Begum”, most counted as classics in Hindi cinema.

The director’s most recent work was the 2023 biographical ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’.

As news of the filmmaker’s death spread, tributes poured in from far and wide.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the filmmaker’s “storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema”.  

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi said in his tribute.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the filmmaker presented “India’s stories with depth and sensitivity”.

“Saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal ji, a visionary filmmaker who brought India’s stories to life with depth and sensitivity. His legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and admirers worldwide,” Mr Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

Director Shekhar Kapur said Shyam Benegal will be “remembered as the man who changed the direction of Indian cinema”. 

“He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars out great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil. Farewell my friend and guide,” filmmaker Shekhar Kapur posted on X.

Addressing Benegal as Shyam Babu, as he was known to friends and collaborators, director Hansal Mehta, of ‘Shahid’, ‘Citylights’ fame, thanked the filmmaker for being an inspiration.

“Thank you for the cinema. Thank you for giving tough stories and flawed characters such amazing dignity. Truly among the last of our greats,” Mr Mehta said.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who worked with Shyam Benegal in 2001’s ‘Zubeidaa’, said the director’s death is a “heartbreaking loss” for Indian cinema.

“Shyam Benegal wasn’t just a legend, he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations. Working with him in Zubeidaa was a transformative experience for me, exposing me to his unique style of storytelling & nuanced understanding of performances.

“I’ll forever be grateful for the lessons I learned under his direction. It was an absolute honor to have had the opportunity to work with him. His legacy will live on in the stories he told and the lives he touched. Rest in peace Shyam Babu, Om Shanti,” said Mr Bajpayee. 

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said Benegal was the best at expressing “poetry of the ordinary face and ordinary lives”.

“Much will be written about Shyam Benegal but for me not many talk about the fact that there was a lament in his films and a sadness about the fact we were not living in the best of all possible Worlds (sic)” he said in another post on X.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, who spoke highly about the director when he launched a book on Benegal by Atul Tiwari in Lucknow barely three days ago, said he couldn’t believe the veteran would “leave us so soon”.

Telugu superstar and politician Chiranjeevi also paid tributes to Benegal, a fellow Hyderabadi.

“Deeply saddened at the departure of Shri Shyam Benegal, one of the finest film makers and great intellectuals of our country. He discovered & nurtured some of the brightest film talents of India.

“His films, biographies and documentaries form part of India’s greatest cultural treasure!! A fellow Hyderabadi & former Rajya Sabha member, Benegal Sab’s masterful works will always be held in great esteem in Indian Cinema! Rest In Peace Sir!!” wrote Chiranjeevi.

“Farewell to the legendary #ShyamBenegal, the master storyteller who redefined Indian cinema with his realism and depth. His films will continue to inspire generations. Rest in peace maestro,” said Bengali star Prosenjit Chatterjee on X.