Pioneer of India’s parallel cinema Shyam Benegal dies at 90

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of India’s parallel cinema, has passed away in Mumbai. He celebrated his 90th birthday on December 14 with his leading actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. His daughter Pia Benegal said he succumbed to a chronic kidney ailment after fighting it for several years.

Benegal transitioned to the big screen in 1973 with groundbreaking Ankur (The Seedling) from a career in advertising films. With that movie he introduced Shabana Azmi. But he would be equally remembered for tapping the raw talent of Smita Patil, the Marathi news reader on television, who became known for her dusky beauty and ability to emote complex characters.

Benegal’s first four feature films Ankur (1973), Nishant (Night’s End) (1975), Manthan (The Churning) (1976) and Bhumika (The Role) (1977) made him a benchmark for parallel cinema in India. His other notable works include Zubeidaa (2001) and Mammo (1994) among others. Benegal won the National Film Award 18 times. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in the field of cinema. Prior to this, in 1976, he was honoured with state awards, the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan for his unwavering commitment to the augmentation of the field of cinema.

RELATED POST

COMMENTS