Veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at 90; all you need to know

Veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal, on Monday (December 23), breathed his last breath at 6:30 p.m. He was 90. Benegal was allegedly suffering from renal difficulties. His daughter, Pia Benegal, confirmed the news to a major media house.

On December 14, the Manthan director gathered with friends and family to commemorate his 90th birthday. The magnificent event included actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, filmmaker-actor and Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal Kapoor, among others. “We all grow old. I don’t do anything great (on my birthday). It may be a special day but I don’t celebrate it specifically. I cut a cake at the office with my team,” Benegal had said.

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Shyam Benegal's achievements
The Government of India awarded Benegal the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. His successful films include Manthan, Zubeidaa, and Sardaari Begum.

Who was Shyam Benegal?
Shyam Benegal was born in Hyderabad on December 14, 1934, to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father, Sridhar B. Benegal, originally from Karnataka, was a photographer who sparked Shyam's early interest in film. Shyam made his first film when he was 12 years old, using a camera handed to him by his father.

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He went on to acquire a Master's degree in Economics from Osmania University in Hyderabad, where he also established the Hyderabad Film Society, which marked the start of his distinguished film career.

His major works include Ankur, Manthan, Mandi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Zubeidaa, and Well Done Abba, among others.

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• Shyam Benegal