Shyam Benegal passes away days after celebrating his 90th birthday; Akshay Kumar pays heartfelt tribute
A piece of shocking news has gripped the Bollywood industry. Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal breathed his last in Mumbai on Monday.
The filmmaker succumbed to a chronic kidney-related disease. As reported by India Today, the 90-year-old filmmaker breathed his last at 6:30 pm at the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai.
The filmmaker celebrated his birthday on December 14 with friends and family. Actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, filmmaker-actor and Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor, and others, were a part of the grand celebration.
See Shyam’s last picture with Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta and others.
As soon as the news of his demise broke, several celebrities and fans penned heartfelt tributes to the renowned filmmaker.
He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars out great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil. Farewell my friend and guide pic.twitter.com/5r3rkX48Vx
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 23, 2024
Akshay Kumar wrote, “Pained to know of Shyam Benegal ji’s demise. One of the finest filmmakers in our country, truly a legend. Om Shanto.”
About Shyam Benegal’s illustrious career
Shyam Benegal is best known for his films like Ankur, Mandi, Manthan and more, most of which were released in the mid-70s or 80s, and came to be known as part of parallel cinema in India.
Shyam Benegal, born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad, hailed from a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father, Sridhar B. Benegal, originally from Karnataka, was a photographer who inspired Shyam’s early interest in filmmaking. At just 12 years old, Shyam created his first film using a camera gifted by his father. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, where he also founded the Hyderabad Film Society, marking the beginning of his illustrious journey in cinema.
Benegal was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. His successful films include Manthan, Zubeidaa and Sardaari Begum.
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