Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal passes away at 90

Shyam Benegal, the legendary filmmaker who turned 90 on December 14, passed away on Monday. The veteran filmmaker took his last breath in Mumbai's Wockhardt hospital on Monday.

"Mr Shyam Benegal passed away at 6:38 PM at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He was suffered from chronic kidney disease. He was suffering from this for several years but it had got very bad, that's the reason for his death," Shyam Benegal's daughter Pia Benegal told PTI.

After the Benegal's demise, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur in a post on X stated, “He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars out great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil. Farewell my friend and guide.”

The noted film director and screenwriter behind sensational movies such as Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001), among others, heralded the Indian cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s.

His realistic movies with social commentary were unconventional for mainstream Indian cinema. Some of the other pathbreaking films were Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, Junoon, and Mandi.

In a recent interview with PTI on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Benegal, who also made his mark in documentary filmmaking, said, “We all grow old. I don’t do anything great. It may be a special day but I don’t celebrate it specifically. I cut a cake at the office with my team."

Despite age-related health issues, Benegal, who was known as a pioneer of realistic storytelling, remained optimistic. He had to visit the hospital three times a week for dialysis.

A few days ago, the director, whose most recent film was the 2023 biographical “Mujib: The Making of a Nation,” said that he was working on two to three projects that were all different from each other.

"It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen,” he noted.

Benegal's demise will mark the end of an era for Indian cinema, leaving behind an enthralling legacy and some incomplete work.