Renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal died on Monday after days of suffering from a chronic kidney-related disease. The 90-year-old filmmaker died at around 6:30 pm at the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, his daughter Pia Benegal confirmed.

Shyam Benegal was known for films like Ankur, Mandi, Manthan and more, most of which were released in the mid-70s or 80s, and came to be known as part of parallel cinema in India.

The filmmaker celebrated his birthday on December 14 with friends and family. Actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, filmmaker-actor and Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal Kapoor, and others, were a part of the grand celebration.

Benegal was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. His successful films include Manthan, Zubeidaa and Sardaari Begum.

Shyam Benegal, born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad, hailed from a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father, Sridhar B. Benegal, originally from Karnataka, was a photographer who inspired Shyam’s early interest in filmmaking. At just 12 years old, Shyam created his first film using a camera gifted by his father. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, where he also founded the Hyderabad Film Society, marking the beginning of his illustrious journey in cinema.

Some of his notable works include Ankur, Manthan, Mandi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Zubeidaa, Well Done Abba and more.

Source: India Today