Lipika Varma
Director Shyam Benegal recipient of 18″ National Awards”. Also awarded Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the great Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005.His career continued successfully over a span of six decades. He had moved to Mumbai in the sixties. Who created a new idiom for Hindi cinema and was one of the leading figures of the parallel cinema movement died in Mumbai on Monday evening from kidney related complications. Ironically, he died in the same month born on ‘Dec14,1934-died on Dec 23,2024. His daughter Pia Benegal informed the media first.
Shyam Benegal is also Guru Dutt’s cousin who is known for making different films such as, “Ankur,” (1974), “Manthan”, Mandi (” 1983),”Zubeidaa””Nishant,” (1975). He is known to be the launching pad for Shabana Azmi and late Smita Patil as leading ladies.
In our last interview during the promotions of,” Mujib the Making of the Nation” epic biographical film -2023-”, he had expressed his regrets about the changes that has happened in his birthplace Hyderabad- -,”I have not been to Hyderabad recently. I keep connection as I have a few friends residing in Hyderabad. I have not visited; it’s been a long time. I am born there so I have connections there na, I still have some friends alive while most of my generation is no longer existing, even they have passed on. There are still places that I loved but I also don’t like going back, because everything has changed so fast. There are no familiar landmarks left in Hyderabad for me that can pull me there.
Refreshing his memories, he had updated the places that goes missing for him-he elaborated-
“I am not missing much of Historical things. But certain Mohalla’s, bazar they were very familiar to me at that time- sab khatam ho gaye aur aaj woh najr mein nahi aata hai so I miss all that. So, I feel nostalgic about all of that. I shall go sometime though later.”
Director Shyam Benegal is survived by his wife Nira and daughter. His last rites will be heldat – Pia. Shivaji Park Electric
A nostalgic piece -Neena Gupta-
Neena Gupta had expressed her views in one of our interviews working with Director Shyam Benegal in, “Ankur”
On sharing memories of working in Mandi-For Mandi all the actors had to go to Hyderabad for two months and stay there only. Whether you have any work or not we all actors had to get ready and reach the location which was 2 hours away from the place we lived. We were playing prostitutes. We would wear pointed bras and drape nylon sarees and tie ribbons to our hair. We would wear shiny cholis. We were to enact in front of the cameras as it’s our job so there was no hesitation. We would sit for 4/5 days at a stretch dressed up and just go back without doing any scenes. We would play volleyball and cards to pass our time. I remember Pankaj Kapoor’s first shot was taken after his stay for almost one month. This was the discipline we as actors followed in those days.
On Director Shyam Benegal not being a strict captain?
He wasn’t strict. But we were scared of him. Once I had a dance sequence. I was running high temperature and wanted to seek a break from him. But his assistant said sir wants you to do it now. I thought him to be so cruel. But Shabana Jee explained to me that if he didn’t do that sequence, he won’t know when he can reschedule it. So, he is actually thinking of a hundred people, and you are just thinking about yourself. It is then I realized that he is not cruel, but I have no reason to fall sick. We were very obedient, and we would reach on time.
