Shyam Benegal was born on December 14, 1934 in Hyderabad, is probably the greatest active filmmaker from India, working from last 50 years and giving us gem after gem. With his first four feature films Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) he became the pioneer of new genre of films known as “Parallel Cinema” in India.
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Shashi Kapoor and Benegal had a fruitful collaboration and gave the world Junoon (1978), an interracial love story set amidst the turbulent period of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In 1981, they came up with Kalyug, which is a modern adaptation of the Mahabharata set in the corporate world. The film explores themes of power, greed, and moral dilemmas within a family-owned business.
Benegal’s next Mandi (1983), based on a short story Aanandi by Ghulam Abbas, was a satirical comedy about the double standard of Society, Politics and prostitution, starring Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil.
He explored human relationships in Trikal (1985) based on the last days of Portuguese in Goa.
He made a critically acclaimed documentary based on Satyajit Ray’s life, Satyajit Ray, in 1985.
In 1992, he made Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (Seventh Horse of the Sun), based on a novel by Dharmavir Bharati, which won the 1993 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
Next comes the women centric trilogy written by filmmaker and critic Khalid Mohamed about his own life, with the first film being “Mammo (1994).” The film is a heartwarming drama that delves into the emotional complexities of the Indo-Pak partition. The film follows the journey of a woman, played by Farida Jalal, and her relationships.
Followed by Sardari Begum (1996) portrays the life of a talented singer, Sardari Begum, played by Kiron Kher, and explores themes of family, society, and gender issues.
And finally, Zubeidaa (2001) explores the tumultuous life of the lead character, the mother of Khalid Mohammad, played by Karisma Kapoor.
It delves into Zubeida’s complex relationships, and personal desires. Benegal’s nuanced storytelling and the cast’s compelling performances earned critical acclaim for this biographical drama.
His films are known to highlight issues such as gender equity, social justice, and political conflicts. He portrayed a range of issues and emotions with great nuance, helped by the powerhouse team of actors like Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Om Puri, all of whom were discovered for the screen by Shyam Babu.
He also directed serials such as Yatra (1986) and the 53-episode television serial Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book, Discovery of India.
The winner of many national and international awards and accolades, Shayam Benegal had many retrospectives of his films across the world and has been invited as a Jury for many international film festivals. A prolific writer and a sought after speaker, Shyam Benegal is known as voice of reason for the marginalized.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. On 8 August 2007, he was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2005. He has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times.
