Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema, has died at the age of 90

Watch: Shyam Benegal dies at the age of 90

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema and one of the pioneers of the parallel cinema movement, died of kidney disease on Monday (December 23, 2024) in Mumbai. He was 90.

Benegal, celebrated for poignant and haunting films like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan And Zubeidaaexamined the many fault lines of Indian society, dealt with questions of feudalism, caste and women’s emancipation, while continually experimenting with the cinematic form. His extensive filmography boasts several masterpieces that changed the course of Indian cinema. While often working with government support, he produced several of his own films under the Sahyadri Films banner.

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

Benegal was admitted to the intensive care unit at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. His daughter Pia Benegal confirmed the news of his death PTI: “He passed away at 6.38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had suffered from chronic kidney disease for several years, but it had become much worse. This is the reason for his death,” she said.

Mourning for them Ankur Announcing the director’s death via text message, Naseeruddin Shah said, “It is impossible to describe in a few words what Shyam meant to me. I wonder what would have happened to me if he hadn’t believed in me when no one else did. He and Nira (Benegal, wife) were a great support during my difficult days. He did what he could with his life – until the end. Not many people can say they’ve done that.”

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Known for his tireless energy and intellect, Benegal worked across a range of media, using photography, film, theater and long-format television to chronicle India’s post-independence journey. He was born in Hyderabad in 1934; his paternal grandmother came from the family of the Indian director Guru Dutt; they were thus second cousins. After an early career in advertising, Benegal taught at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), made documentaries and directed his first feature film: Ankurin 1974. The film is a moving story of class and caste and featured Shabana Azmi in her debut release.

Over the course of his career, Benegal formed a formidable partnership with Govind Nihalani as his cinematographer and Vanraj Bhatia as his music composer, and assembled a circle of now legendary actors: Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Anant Nag, Om Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, KK Raina and other. A particularly fruitful collaboration was his association with Shashi Kapoor, who played the lead role Junoon (1978) and Kaljug (1981). He was the flame that everyone was drawn to.

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Even as the country and its cinema changed, Benegal continued to work to carve out a niche for herself in mainstream Bollywood. He was a gentle, inspiring presence at his Tardeo office in Mumbai and at several national and international film festivals and forums. A recipient of 18 national awards, he received the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, India’s fourth and third highest civilian honors respectively, as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Despite his serious face and reputation, he had a knack for humorous narratives, starting with his insane black-and-white second film Charanda’s choir, which he made for the Children’s Film Society of India.

His late work was full of biographies and satire: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Welcome to Sajjanpur and Well Done Abba. In 2023, after a significant break, he was released Mujib: The Making of a Nationa biopic about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

A 4K restoration of Benegal’s 1976 masterpiece took place earlier this year Manthan was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, India’s first crowdfunded film, was inspired by the dairy cooperative revolution in Anand, Gujarat.