Shyam Benegal's Kidneys Fail, Filmmaker Undergoes Dialysis At Home, Says Report

Acclaimed filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, is reportedly undergoing dialysis at his home.

Shyam Benegal Undergoing Dialysis (Pic: Twitter)

NEW DELHI: Multiple national-award winner and filmmaker Shyam Benegal is reportedly undergoing dialysis at his home after both his kidneys failed. As per media reports, the acclaimed director's health is deteriorating and is unable to visit the hospital for the procedure.

An India Today report stated that Benegal, aged 88, is unable to visit the hospital for treatment as his health has started deteriorating. One of his staff members told media that the filmmaker has not been keeping well for a while now and has been advised to rest at home. The staff members said that he was well in the past but hasn't been able to even visit his office in recent days.

Shyam Benegal has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts. He is known for his work in films like 'Zubeidaa', 'Mammo', 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' among others. 

Shyam is married to Nira Benegal and has a daughter named Pia Benegal, a costume designer, who worked for many films.

As per reports, Shyam was in the process of planning his upcoming projects. He was reportedly in between the preparation of a film titled 'Mujeeb: The Making of a Nation'. The film is said to be based on the life of the first President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Shyam and his family are yet to address these reports.

Shyam Benegal is the president of the Federation of Film Societies of India. He owns a production company called 'Sahyadri Films' and has authored three books based on his own films including 'The Churning with Vijay Tendulkar' (1984), 'Satyajit Ray' (1988), and 'The Marketplace' (1989).