Renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away on Monday at the age of 90, after battling a prolonged kidney-related illness. He died at approximately 6:30 pm at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, as confirmed by his daughter, Pia Benegal, to India Today.
Benegal, one of the most prominent figures in Indian cinema, was celebrated for pioneering the parallel cinema movement. His films, such as Ankur, Mandi, and Manthan, became iconic works of the 1970s and 1980s, setting a new direction in Indian filmmaking.
The filmmaker had recently celebrated his 90th birthday on December 14, surrounded by close friends and family. The gathering included notable actors like Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, and Kunal Kapoor, the actor-filmmaker and son of Shashi Kapoor.
Benegal’s contribution to cinema was recognized by the Indian government, which awarded him the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. His legacy includes a diverse body of work with successful films such as Manthan, Zubeidaa, and Sardar Begum, among others.
Born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad, Shyam Benegal hailed from a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father, Sridhar B. Benegal, a photographer from Karnataka, introduced him to the world of visual storytelling. At the age of 12, Shyam made his first film using a camera his father had gifted him. Although he earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Osmania University in Hyderabad, it was his passion for cinema that led him to establish the Hyderabad Film Society, marking the beginning of his illustrious cinematic journey.
Some of his most celebrated works include Ankur, Manthan, Junoon, Suraj ka Satvaan Ghoda, Mandi, and more, which continue to inspire generations of filmmakers and audiences alike.
