Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 29: A heartfelt memorial was held in Mumbai to honor the legendary director Shyam Benegal, who passed away recently. The event saw several prominent figures from the film industry, including Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Naseeruddin Shah, Urmila Matondkar, and many others, coming together to pay tribute to the maestro.
Benegal, known for his iconic films like Manthan and Junoon, passed away on December 23 at 6:38 pm at the age of 90 at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. Born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family, Benegal had a significant impact on Indian cinema. He was known for collaborating with actors from prestigious institutions like the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the National School of Drama (NSD), including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri, among others.
Benegal’s films are remembered for their powerful socio-political narratives. Junoon (1979), based on Ruskin Bond’s A Flight of Pigeons, stands out as a gripping epic set against the backdrop of India’s freedom struggle, featuring a poignant love story between a British woman (Nafisa Ali) and a passionate Pathan (Shashi Kapoor). It remains one of his most celebrated works for its emotional depth and sweeping visuals.