Amitabh Bachchan Expresses Grief Over Shyam Benegal's Passing: A Great Loss for Indian Cinema
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Mumbai, Dec 24 (NationPress) The renowned Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has expressed profound sorrow over the passing of esteemed director Shyam Benegal, who departed in Mumbai on December 23 at the age of 90.
The cinematic legend shared his feelings on his blog, voicing his grief regarding the loss of a filmmaker who was instrumental in shaping the parallel cinema movement in India.
Amitabh stated: “The Indian Film Industry loses another stalwart ..Sad ..Shyam Benegal .. passes away .. Our prayers and condolences ..My affection
The director had been battling a kidney condition for some time and was hospitalized at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. His funeral is scheduled to take place in Mumbai at 10:00 am on Tuesday.
Shyam Benegal is celebrated as one of the most influential filmmakers since the 1970s, having received numerous accolades, including 18 National Film Awards, a Nandi Award, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
The filmmaker recently marked his 90th birthday in Mumbai.
Born in Hyderabad to Sridhar B. Benegal, who was notable in the photography field, he was also the second cousin of the legendary Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt.
Shyam Benegal began his career as a copywriter, creating his first documentary film in Gujarati, ‘Gher Betha Ganga’, in 1962. His initial four feature films—‘Ankur’ (1973), ‘Nishant’ (1975), ‘Manthan’ (1976), and ‘Bhumika’ (1977)—established him as a trailblazer of the new wave cinema movement of that era.
His film ‘Mandi’ (1983) is renowned for its satirical take on politics and prostitution, featuring stars like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Later, he delved into human relationships in ‘Trikal’, which was based on the final days of the Portuguese in Goa during the early 1960s.
Benegal's final work was the 2023 biographical film 'Mujib: The Making of a Nation', an epic exploration of the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first president of Bangladesh, who is affectionately known as Bangabandhu.
