His lens was empathetic, rooted in Indian reality and always political. Shyam Benegal pioneered a different path in mainstream cinema with films like Ankur, Nishant and Bhoomika. He was an arthouse pioneer who rewrote the rules.
One of India’s greatest directors, a pioneer of parallel cinema and whose work captivated the world’s most discerning film audiences, passed away on Monday night at a hospital in Mumbai. It was just nine days after his 90th birthday.
Benegal, who burst onto the scene with his first film Ankur in 1974, is a chronicler of Indian times and politics, writing nonfiction and fiction in a variety of mediums, including films, documentaries, biopics, and ambitious works. He was a rare artist who was active in both. TV program.
The title of his debut novel translated as Seedling and was probably prophetic. Ankur, which delves into caste struggles and feudalism in a small village in India, is among his more than 25 films, including Mandi, Manthan, Junoon, Kaliyug and Zubeidaa. This is my first work.
These notable works include a documentary on another great filmmaker, Satyajit Ray, and an ambitious TV show, Bharat Ek Khoj, based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book The Discovery of India. ”, and the 10-part drama serial “Sanvidhan”. Regarding the establishment of the constitution.
Through his work, which was distinctly different and alternative to the mainstream cinema that audiences had known up until then, Benegal made several stars out of great actors. Of course there was Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Girish Karnad. And then there were stars like Shashi Kapoor and Rekha who gave perhaps their best performances in ‘Kalyug’ and ‘Vijeta’.
Filmmaking was deeply personal, but also inherently political. It tells stories of class and caste struggles, feminist concerns, rural struggles, and community dynamics. The gaze was sharp, the themes serious, the treatments sometimes sombre and sometimes satirical.
If “Kalyug” is a modern retelling of the Mahabharata, “Bhumika” is about the searing profile of a female film star and her often exploitative relationships, and “Mandi” is about a brothel and its denizens. This is a story about how the man skillfully manipulates the lives of men. Welcome to Sajanpur is a blatant satire about a young novelist-turned-letter writer.
Affectionately known as Shyam Babu by his friends and colleagues, Benegal starred in seminal films of the 1970s and 1980s, alongside the likes of Sai Paranjpye, Govind Nihalani, Mani Kaur, Syed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani. was the pillar of
Benegal disliked the term “middle cinema” used to bracket his films, preferring to refer to his work as “new or alternative cinema”.
“I don’t remember who said this: ‘Whether you like it or not, your every social act is also a political act,'” he told PTI in 2022.
“The first is to be as objective as possible, and the second is to empathize. If you are not objective, you are already coloring the story with your own subjectivity. Empathy is necessary. When I say empathize, I mean empathize with the subject matter,” Benegal said.
His films were films by academics, by academics, and attracted some of the most talented people in the industry.
The late playwright Vijay Tendulkar wrote Manthan, a film about the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat, made with Rs 2 rupees from 500,000 farmers, and a film set in a feudal family. He wrote the script for “Nishant”, which was written in 2013. Late music composer Vanraj Bhatia, cinematographer Govind Nihalani and great theater director Satyadev Dubey worked with him in several films. Girish Karnad wrote the script for ‘Bhumika’ and Ruskin Bond wrote the script for ‘Junoon’.
Benegal was modest about his accomplishments.
“There are people who have accomplished great things. There is nothing special about what they did. They just did what they wanted to do. It’s not special. Climbing Everest It’s special,” he said.
Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi was the only person Benegal explored in all its complexity and significance. In “The Making of the Mahatma,” Rajit Kapoor portrays Gandhi during his time in South Africa. Gandhi appeared in two episodes of ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ and was played by Neeraj Kabi in the 10-part series ‘Samvidhaan’. In the 2005 Netaji biopic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, the role of Gandhi was played by Surendra Rajan.
“This is very difficult to judge or confirm, but it is certain that Gandhi’s influence on Indians is very deep, although it may not always be visible on the surface. “Somewhere it has to do with the concept of compassion and humanity,” he said. Said once.
An extraordinary career in moving visuals began in advertising.
And it was probably in his genes. Born in Tirumalagiri (now Telangana), Benegal grew up surrounded by cinema. His father was a still photographer and also made short films. He was also the cousin of film legend Guru Dutt. Benegal completed his master’s degree in economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He intended to become a teacher, but decided against it. The young Benegalman soon moved to Mumbai in search of work, and at first thought of helping Guru Dutt, but decided against it as he had his own ideas.
After that, I got a job as a copywriter at an advertising agency. After some time, his agency noticed his inclination towards media and transferred him to their film department, where he started making advertising films until he became a full-time filmmaker. He then made documentaries in the Indian Film Department and later made his feature film debut with ‘Ankur’.
He was a film director who won many awards. Benegal received many national awards during his career. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. In 2005, he won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in the film industry. Benegal also served as Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2012.
Despite suffering from chronic kidney disease and reaching the age of 90, Benegal had no intention of calling it quits.
“I am working on a couple of projects, but they are different. It is difficult to say which ones I will make. They are all for the big screen,” Benegal told PTI on the occasion of his 90th birthday just last week. spoke. birthday.
That was probably his last interview.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
