Filmmaker Shyam Benegal passes away at 90 after prolonged illness

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away on Monday at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. He was 90.  He had been undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease.

 

 

Announcing the news on X (formerly Twitter), lifestyle and entertainment magazine Filmfare said on X, "Director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal passes away at 90. He breathed his last at 6.30 pm at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai. The timing of his last rites will be declared later. We extend our sincere condolences to friends, family and fans." 

 

Benegal, born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad, came from a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father, Sridhar B Benegal was a photographer whose passion inspired Shyam’s early interest in filmmaking. At the age of 12, Shyam created his first film using a camera gifted by his father. He later earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, where he also established the Hyderabad Film Society, laying the foundation for his remarkable journey in cinema.  Benegal was renowned for directing iconic films such as Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika (1977), Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996), and Zubeidaa (2001), among others.  He  was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991.