Shyam Benegal, A Director Par Excellance
Born in Alwal, Andhra Pradesh on December 14, 1934 ,Shyam Benegal, a forerunner of parallel cinema and master story teller who always showed concern for society, breadth his last in the evening of 23rd December at Mumbai. Aged 90, he is survived by his wife and a daughter.He was son of a professional still photographer.
Foray Into Film Making
In the difficult domain of film direction, he was far ahead of his colleagues and was second only to great Satyajit Ray. He was a cousin of Guru Dutt but never rode on his shoulders.After trying his hand on copy writing, advertisement, commercial and publicity short films (Dalda and Rexona soap),his first feature film Ankur, starring Anant Nag, Shabana Azmi and Sadhu Mehar was released in 1973 .It was followed by Nishant(1975),Manthan(1976), Bhumika(1977),
Junoon(1978),Mandi(1983), Susman, Zubeidaa,Trikaal, Kalyug(1981) etc.In most of them women were shown as crucial, rather decisive characters. Most of these were played by Shanana Aazmi and Smita Patil.
Major Works,Issues Raised
He also made films on Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray and Mujibur Rahman.
Ankur showed agitated mind of a deaf and dumb man vis a vis a landlord. In the last scene, a kid is shown throwing a stone at the landlord’s house.Apart from being touchy, it reflected a sign of possible revolt.
Kalyug was a modern take on Mahabharat,wherein two business families destroy each other after cruel fights.Herein too Rekha left an impression akin to Shabana.
Trikaal,Susman,Junoon etc.
On the other hand,Trikaal was a complex inter generational story of love in a Goan family of Portuguese origin. Shyam Benegal yet again dealt with a Cooperative in Susman but this time, it was handloom.Junoon showed hidden love story of a married Pathan and a teenaged Anglo Indian girl in the grim backdrop of Revolt of 1857.
True Inheritor Of Art Cinema
Benegal was a true inheritor of art cinema, pioneered by Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and Bimal Roy.He directed the magnum opus serial ” Bharat Ek Khoj” spread over 53 episodes for Doordarshan in1988.It was based on the famous book Discovery of India, authored by Jawaharlal Nehru.It was a truly monumental work. Also Samvidhan was made by him for Doordarshan.
Grooming Of Actors
He groomed several directors, actors, music directors and photographers to enable them to make a mark in Mayanagri.Prominent among them were: Shabnam Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag, Smita Patil, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Sadhu Mehar and Govind Nihlani. But for his support and guidance these film personalities may have been struggling in the turbulent waters of film world.In a way, Stars were created by him out of great actors.
Awards & Honours
He was recipient of 18 National Awards in a career spanning six decades, got Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2005. He was nominated for Palme D’nor Award at Cannes for Nishant.
He was also M.P.,Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2012.
He was a State Cycling and Swimming champion. As he held his own in the midst of entertaining cinema, he had countless admirers. He had two successful stints as Director of Film and Television Institute of India.
Commitment For Social & Economic Justice
Through his films,he showed a sincere, out of way, commitment to social and economic justice.He was able to highlight exploitation of villagers at the lowest rung by the feudal lords, women’s contribution to dairy movement, chikan workers, workers involved in handloom and making of Kanjivaram saris etc.These showed his avid concern and care for social issues. Overall, Shyam Benegal had a glorious career.
End Of An Era
It may be appropriate to conclude by quoting from Girish Karnad’s speech on completion of 25 years of film making by Shyam Benegal.
He said” Shyam Benegal was not just a director but also a doctor, a psychiatrist, a father figure and a banker.”
With Benegal’s death, an era has come to an end.He was a true legend in the domain of film direction.
Alok k.Shrivastava,
Ex-C.S. Sikkim
A write-up of archival value, encompassing most of the relevant details about Benegal,a titan of the level of Satyajit Ray.
Inputs like his being related to Guru Dutt and being behind the successful Dalda and Rexona ads only add additional dimension to his already gifted persona.
An enlightening read on the outstanding film personality.
The parallel Indian cinema with its great star cast of today is virtually nothing without him.We may very well call it the Benegal Cinema