Film auteur Shyam Benegal, hailed as the pioneer of India’s parallel cinema, died at 90 in Mumbai on Monday evening due to chronic kidney disease. His frequent collaborator Naseeruddin Shah mourned his death in an interview with Filmfare. He said, “It is impossible to describe in a few words, what Shyam meant to me. I wonder what I would have become if he hadn’t had faith in me when no one else did.
He and Nira (Benegal, Shyam Benegal’s wife) were a huge support in my difficult days. He did whatever he could with his life, right to the end. Not many people can claim to have done that.”
Naseeruddin Shah made his debut with Shyam Benagal’s Nishant (1975). Recalling his contributions in Indian cinema, Naseeruddin Shah said in an old interview that Shyam Benegal “opened” doors for filmmakers who wanted to make films they believed in.
The actor told WildFilmsIndia, “The most memorable thing for me is that he gave me my first film and my first pay cheque. But what is significant about Shyam is that he opened the doors for a number of filmmakers who wanted to make films that they believed in.
He still continues to make the kind of films he believes in and has not jumped the bandwagon. I feel extremely privileged and proud to be part of his work.”
The film veteran added, “The fact that he broke through the market of monolithic multi starrer films, making small films without bigger stars and managed to communicate to the audience well. He was able to connect to a larger group.”
Nishant features an ensemble cast featuring Girish Karnad, Amrish Puri, Shabana Azmi, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag and Sadhu Meher, Smita Patil along with Naseeruddin Shah. The film revolves around the power of the rural elite and the sexual exploitation of women, during the time of feudalism in Telangana.
The film won the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. It was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. It was invited to the London Film Festival of 1976, Melbourne International Film Festival of 1977, and the Chicago International Film Festival of 1977, where it was awarded the Golden Plaque.
Shyam Benegal and Naseeruddin Shah also worked together in Manthan, Junoon, Mandi and Trikal, among others.
