Shyam Benegal | |
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![]() Benegal in 2010 | |
Born | |
Died | 23 December 2024 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | (aged 90)
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Works | Full list |
Spouse | Nira Benegal |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Guru Dutt (cousin) |
Awards | 1976 Padma Shri 1991 Padma Bhushan 2005 Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013 ANR National Award |
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
In office 16 February 2006 – 15 February 2012 | |
Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s.[1] He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan,[2] the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts. He died on 23 December 2024, aged 90, at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, where he was receiving treatment for chronic kidney disease.[3]
Benegal was born in Hyderabad to Sridhar B. Benegal who was prominent in the field of photography.[4] Starting his career as a copywriter, he made his first Documentary film in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga (Ganges at the Doorstep) in 1962. Benegal's first four feature films – Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) – made him a pioneer of the new wave film movement of that period.[5] Benegal's "Muslim Women Trilogy" films Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996), and Zubeidaa (2001) all won National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Hindi.[6] Benegal has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times. He was awarded the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.