Legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal, widely regarded as one of the greatest visionaries in Indian cinema, has passed away at the age of 90. Benegal breathed his last at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, where he had been undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease. In his career spanning decades, the filmmaker worked with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Girish Karnad, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, among others. One of his most notable collaborations was with Naseeruddin.
In an old interview, Naseeruddin spoke highly of the filmmaker who launched him into mainstream cinema by casting him in his 1975 movie Nishant.
Also Read | Shyam Benegal, the force behind India’s parallel cinema movement, dies at 90
The actor told WildFilmsIndia, “The most memorable thing for me is that he gave me my first film and my first pay cheque. But what is significant about Shyam is that he opened the doors for a number of filmmakers who wanted to make films that they believed in. He still continues to make the kind of films he believes in and has not jumped the bandwagon. I feel extremely privileged and proud to be part of his work.”
He added, “The fact that he broke through the market of monolithic multi starrer films, making small films without bigger stars and managed to communicate to the audience well. He was able to connect to a larger group.”
Shyam Benegal and Naseeruddin Shah also worked together in Manthan, Junoon, Mandi and Trikal, among others.
Also Read | What Shyam Benegal said about making one of the most difficult films of his career
The filmmaker will be laid to rest on Wednesday.
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