- Monday, December 23, 2024
The 90-year-old filmmaker was known for his realism and social commentary, and his major works included “Ankur”, “Nishant” and “Manthan”
By: India Weekly
VETERAN filmmaker Shyam Benegal (90), who heralded the Indian parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s with films such as “Ankur”, “Nishant” and “Manthan“, died on Monday, his daughter Pia Benegal said.
The 90-year-old filmmaker passed away at Mumbai’s Wockhardt Hospital due to chronic kidney disease.
“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,” she said.
Wockhardt Hospital sources said Benegal had been admitted in the ICU.
In his prolific career, Benegal made films on diverse issues, documentaries and television serials, including “Bharat Ek Khoj” and “Samvidhaan”.
Known for his realism and social commentary, he broke away from the conventions of mainstream Indian cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.
His film Manthan (1976), starring the late Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah, was recently restored and screened at many plances, including Cannes. Manthan was inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien in Gujarat.
Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday on December 14. The director told PTI on the occasion that he had to frequently visit the hospital and was on dialysis.
Benegal is survived by his wife Nira Benegal and daughter.
His films include “Bhumika”, “Junoon”, “Mandi”, “Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda”, “Mammo” and “Sardari Begum”, most counted as classics in Hindi cinema.
The director’s most recent work was the 2023 biographical “Mujib: The Making of a Nation”.
