The legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal left this world on Monday, December 23, 2024, after battling chronic kidney disease for years. He breathed his last at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital after remaining unwell for days. Benegal was 90. 


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The torchbearer of the 'new wave' in Indian cinema during the 60s-70s, Shyam Benegal became a stalwart in the world of movies with his body of work which not only mirrored the society but also questioned the socio-political scenario in the country. From starting his career as a copywriter at Mumbai-based advertising agency, Lintas Advertising, Benegal made his first documentary in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga (Ganges at the Doorstep) in 1962. 


Born in Hyderabad to renowned photographer Sridhar B Benegal, the veteran moviemaker was honoured with Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards in 1991 and 1976 respectively. 


Benegal was battling chronic kidney disease and had to frequently visit the hospital for dialysis, yet his spirit to make magic on the big screens was undeterred, as he once told news agency PTI about working on 2-3 projects. 


"He passed away at 6.38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That’s the reason for his death,” his daughter Pia told the agency. 


PIONEER OF PARALLEL CINEMA


From the repertoire of Benegal's work, his first four feature films including Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) made everyone sit back and think about the times we lived in. And this gave rise to the 'new wave' of Indian cinema. 


His later works Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001) also came from the same 'parallel' world of movie making. With his power of writing and direction, the world got to witness the likes of the late Om puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Farida Jalal, late Surekha Sikri, late Smita Patel and the likes. The crème de la crème of Indian Parallel Cinema - these artistes and many others got a platform and the filmmaker behind their success story stood silently watching them tell his stories. 


He made documentaries, short films, and TV series including 21 film modules for the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), sponsored by UNICEF. 


BHARAT EK KHOJ...


When most of his films couldn't get big screen releases, Benegal moved to television with series like Yatra (1986), for the Indian Railways, and the 53-episode television serial Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) based on Jawaharlal Nehru's book, Discovery of India. 


He also served as the Director of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) from 1980 to 1986. 


SHYAM BENEGAL'S OTHER NOTABLE WORKS


Besides a plethora of hard-hitting projects. His other great works include Mandi (1983), Trikal (1985), Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992),  Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). He made Welcome to Sajjanpur, Well Done Abba among other notable outings.


NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR


Not one or two but 7 times his movies have won the prestigious National Film Awards respectively. He also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 'Overall Contribution to the Indian Cinema' and Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration  (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero).


Shyam Benegal is survived by his wife Nira Benegal and daughter Pia. 


The world of 'realism' in celluloid will never be the same again. The iconic Shyam Benegal's demise leaves behind a huge void which none can ever fill.