On 23rd December 2024, Shyam Benegal died while he was undergoing treatment for chronic kidney. He was a renowned filmmaker, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker. He was the one who shaped the parallel cinema.
A Prolific Cinema Career
His debut which brought him to the limelight was with his feature film “Ankur” in 1973. This movie welcomed critical acclaim and set the tone for his illustrious career. He started to create landmark films that include "Nishant" (1975), "Manthan" (1976), and "Bhumika" (1977). These films contributed to the parallel cinema movement in India. Real-life issue portrayal in his movies was his specialty, making him earn 18 National Film Awards.
What is Parallel Cinema?
Parallel Cinema is a movement that originated in the West Bengal in 1950. Parallel cinema is a visual that provides the audience with realistic views and comments from society. They are made for not business generation purposes but to show the audience what the contemporary world looks like. Shyam Benegal is the pioneer who produced parallel cinema in his movies.
Shyam and his Parallel Cinema
His very first film “ Ankut” meaning ‘The Seedling’ showcased how a parallel cinema movie should exist. In this movie, he vividly shows a realistic drama and sexual exploitation happening in his home state, Telangana. This made him famous instantly. Later he stuck to parallel cinema and then began the parallel cinema movement in 1970 with Shyam Benegal as a pioneer.
Honors and Recognitions
To appreciate his contribution to Indian cinema, he has been honored with several honors. He was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 1976 for his contribution to the arts, in 1991, to honor his prolific contribution to his cinema career, the Padma Bhushan. For his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was awarded in 2005.
Shyam Benegal had a daughter named Pia Benegal, a skilled designer in the film industry. His daughter was a very notable costume designer known for her creative ideas, who has collaborated with her father on numerous projects. His supremacy and legacy have impacted the Indian cinema so much and will continue to inspire generations.
Cinema Legacy
To show the complexities of being a woman in a household and society, he made several movies such as "Muslim Women Trilogy"—"Mammo" (1994), "Sardari Begum" (1996), and "Zubeidaa" (2001). These peaked as parallel revolutionized the entire nation.
He guided many technicians and actors and tuned them to how to represent themselves before a camera. Several prominent figures which include Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, and Om Puri have opened up saying the heights they have reached today are only under the proper guidance of Shyam Benegal.
Social Contribution
He highlighted issues such as caste discrimination, gender inequality, and rural poverty. Manthan (1976), is based on White Revolution and funded over 5,00,000 farmers. For the whole years between 2006 and 2012, Benegal was a Member of the parliament representing his state.
Television Contribution
He made several television contributions and the remarkable series “Bharat Ek Khoj” (1988) was based on Jawaharlal Nehru's The Discovery of India. This series ventured into India's rich heritage, education blended with entertainment.
Shyam Benegal Committee
Shyam Bengal was the chairperson of The Shyam Benegal Committee which was formed in 2016 by the government. This committee has to recommend if there are any changes to The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Its primary objective is to simplify the film certification process, ensure the freedom of the actor, the censorship process in charge, and importantly to check if the movie has a creative storytelling process.
Conclusion
Benegal has transformed the cinema as a mirror to show society how they are looking in the contemporary world. He has improved the narrative style more creative, and his unique shoutout to society through characters and his adhesive content to realism have touched many hearts of people and filmmakers. He may have passed away, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations and his works will be a timeless masterpiece role model to aspiring directors.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
The views expressed are personal to the author and do not reflect the platform's opinion of the same.
© Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
Author's Bio
Ayesha Jumana A R is a dedicated content writer specializing in creative content, blogs, SEO-optimised articles, and product descriptions. She has earned recognition at the national level for critical writing, contributed to the Assist World Record for Spill Poetry, and received multiple state and district-level prizes for her poetry. Her work is featured in the anthology An Invisible Bond, available on Amazon.
