Udaipur, December 24, 2024 - Renowned film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, Shyam Benegal passed away yesterday, December 23, at Mumbai’s Wockhardt Hospital due to chronic kidney ailment. His passing leaves a huge a void in the Indian film industry which shall be hard to fill. Benegal had turned 90 on December 14.

The iconic filmmaker’s last rites were performed at Dadar’s Shivaji Park crematorium at 3:00 pm today. He was laid to rest with full State honours, including a three-gun salute.

Benegal is known as the pioneer of “parallel cinema,” having ushered in a new era on the Indian film scenario in the 1970s and 1980s which served as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema. The finest filmmaker of the new wave film movement of that time, Benegal’s first four feature films shot him immediately to fame. These four films will always be etched in our memories - Ankur, Nishant, Manthan and Bhumika. His other very memorable movies include Sardari Begum, Zubeidaa and Mammo which won him National Awards. The list of his movies include all major successes - commercial and critical. Bharat Ek Khoj, Junoon, Kalyug, Trikaal, Susman, Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Well Done Abba….the list can go on and on.

One of the greatest filmmakers of our times, Benegal has won countless awards for his films - all very prestigious recognitions. He was given 18 National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. He was bestowed the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005, the Padma Shri in 1976, the Padma Bhushan in 1991.

And despite such a long career, the stalwart had not stopped working. “I’m working on two to three projects; they are all different from one another. It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen,” he had said on his 90th birthday. 

Tributes have poured in from all quarters as the nation mourns the passing of one of industry’s greats.

“A veritable institution, he groomed many actors and artists. His extraordinary contribution was recognised in the form of numerous awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan. My condolences to the members of his family and his countless admirers,” President Droupadi Murmu wrote on X.

South superstar Kamal Haasan also wrote: “India has lost the most humane storyteller of our time, and I’ve lost a guru. Through his lens, Shyam Benegal brought real India to the screen, making us love the ordinary while tackling profound social subjects. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who cherished his art”.

Benegal's contemporary, the renowned writer Gulzar said: "He hasn't departed, we have departed from him and seen him off. He brought a revolution, he has gone with that revolution of change in cinema. Nobody else will be able to bring that wave, revolution once again. We will remember him for a long time and we will talk about him for a long time to come.” 

Images Courtesy: rediff.com