Shyam Benegal, pioneer of India's parallel cinema, dies in Mumbai at 90
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, known for Ankur, Mandi and Manthan, died at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai on 23 December 2024.
Summary
Shyam Benegal, the filmmaker who led the parallel cinema movement in Hindi films in the 1970s and 1980s, died at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai on 23 December 2024 at the age of 90, after battling chronic kidney disease. Benegal was known for films such as Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan and Zubeidaa. Manthan, based on the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat, was restored and screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. Benegal's most recent work was Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), a biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Benegal received the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Benegal's storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema.
Key facts
- Died
- 23 December 2024, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai
- Age
- 90
- Cause
- Chronic kidney disease
- Known for
- Parallel cinema: Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan, Zubeidaa
- Manthan
- On the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat; restored and screened at Cannes in 2024
- Last film
- Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023)
- Honours
- Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who died on 23 December 2024, is best known as a pioneer of which movement in Indian cinema?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — Parallel cinema
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Shyam Benegal heralded the 'parallel movement' in Hindi cinema in the 1970s and 1980s with films such as Ankur, Mandi and Manthan.
Shyam Benegal's film Manthan, restored and screened at Cannes in 2024, was based on the milk cooperative movement of which place?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Anand, Gujarat
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Manthan was based on the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat, and its restored version was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Shyam Benegal's last film, released in 2023, was a biopic of which leader?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Benegal's most recent work was Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), a biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A film on Noor Inayat Khan remained unmade.