Hyderabad loses its Shaan-e-Benegal

Hyderabad: One of India’s renowned parallel cinema pioneers and a film director with an advertising industry background, Shyam Sundar Benegal, 90, passed away into the ages due to a prolonged kidney problem on Mon-day evening at Mumbai.

Hailing from the twin cities, Benegal, quite notably highlighted the socio-political environment of Telangana in his first film ‘Ankur’ released 50 years ago. Shot in and around Hyderabad, it was a graphic take on the exploitation and oppression by the ruling gentry, in which two actors- Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi- made their debuts and who later went to become top notch stars in the film industry.

A superb craftsman who kept himself updated and moved seamlessly across the mass media genres – art films, advertising films, television se-rials, biographies, short films and international collaborations – soft-spoken Benegal whose second cousin was another great of Hindi cinema - Guru Dutt – had his presence felt and relevant to changing trends in In-dian cinema.

It was understandable that he was reputed for his skills and managed a clutch of national and international awards for the nearly 25 films he directed in the past five decades.

Working with emerging powerhouses of art cinema industry like Nasee-ruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil and the likes, Benegal efficiently blend-ed private support and government finance backing for his films which were appreciated wholesomely by a niche, quality-loving audience over the years. That he could do it consistently, taking up various strands and genres is a considerable achievement, not attained by many of his peers, who ground to a halt after bright starts and failed films.

Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday just 10 days ago on December 14. The director had told PTI on the occasion that he had to frequently visit the hospital and was on dialysis. Benegal is survived by his wife Nira Benegal and daughter. His films include “Bhumika”, “Junoon”, “Mandi”, “Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda”, “Mammo” and “Sardari Begum”, most count-ed as classics in Hindi cinema. The director’s most recent work was the 2023 biographical “Mujib: The Making of a Nation”.

That he could remain active despite crippling personal setbacks is a clear indication that he was far from calling it a day and ready to shoulder the burden of conceptualising films which justified the encomiums he re-ceived continuously from both the government and the film industry cir-cles.