Shyam Benegal: The maestro of Indian parallel cinema

For Gen-Xers, the name Shyam Benegal evokes memories of cinematic brilliance. The master narrator has left an indelible mark with iconic films such as Ankur, Bhumika and Kalyug. His passing on December 23, 2024, at the age of 90, marked the end of an era.

Benegal, though born in Hyderabad, had his roots in Karnataka. His father, Sridhar B Benegal, was a photographer from Udupi. His passion for film was such that he was involved in the medium till 2023, which saw the release of the Indo-Bangladesh collaboration, Mujib: The Making of a Nation, based on the life and works of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first president of Bangladesh.

Veteran actor Anant Nag, who has worked with Benegal in six films—including Ankur, Bhumika, Manthan, Nishant, Kalyug and Kondura, says: “Shyam was an enigma, a force that would cast his spell leave you mesmerised. I worked with this power called Shyam Benegal from 1973 to 1980.”

Anant, who won the Padma Bhushan in 2025, says, “It is the second highest civilian award and it will be greedy and pretentious on my part if I crave for more.” The actor gives a special shout out to Union Bank for giving him a job during his days of struggle.

“I started my career in theatre and those days Union Bank was encouraging talents like me. When I got offers in films, I informed the bank, who were very kind, I was not earning much but what I earned with them was valued and they even let me off early to go to rehearsals”.

The bank told him he could always return if things in cinema went south, says Anant. “They were willing to give me any amount of leave on loss of pay. Once the offers increased, I quit the job.”

Padma Bhushan awardee, Anant Nag, remembers the maestro
| Photo Credit:
SAMPATH KUMAR GP

Anant made his debut with the Kannada film Sankalpa (Determination) in 1973, directed by Nanjaraja Urs. Anant moved to Mumbai and met Amol Palekar. “Amol introduced me to Satyadev Dubey, who said a friend was making a film and introduced me to Shyam Benegal.”

Those were the days of experimental theatre and cinema,” Anant says. “Plays and films leaned towards the intellectual and not commercial.” Anant played Surya in Benegal’s Ankur. “It was a negative character, but that did not matter to me.”

Though he learnt under Dubey, Anant says his skills were further polished while working with Benegal. “Ankur was shot in 40 days and I discovered Shyam was a profound person, so was his knowledge of English and his command over the medium of cinema. He came from a theatre background, had made advertisements and worked with Alyque Padamsee.”

His role in Kondura, based on a novel by Chintamani T Khanolkar, was his most challenging, says Anant. The film was also made in Telugu, titled Anugraham. The screenplay was written by Benegal and Girish Karnad and featured Smita Patil, Vanisri, Satdev Dubey and had cinematography by Govind Nihalani.

“Kondura had a spiritual, sexual and a simple rural story track, running concurrently. Shyam was adept at not just presenting the stark realities of life but also social issues in his films. No one has been able to do what Shyam has done. And anyone who has worked with him cannot but come under his spell.”

Benegal, Anant said, had such a powerful personality that after a point it could become oppressive creatively. “That is when I decided I had to distance myself from his personality. I realised I can never be or think like him. That was the kind of power he had on those around him.”

When Anant moved to Bengaluru, he started working with MS Satyu and his wife, Shama Zaidi, who wrote scripts for Benegal. “She is a brilliant writer and Shyam found a permanent script writer in Shama. Shyam continued to make different films and stuck to the path he believed in.”

As a director, Anant says, Benegal was not volatile. “He did not lose his temper on set. He would sit with every actor, brief them on their roles and character, and be available through the day for discussions or to clear doubts.”

Benegal, Anant says, had an intelligent sense of humour. “He would post brief shots for laughs and then rally us saying ‘let us focus, we have a task on hand’. He always looked for fresh subjects that would work in multiple layers, and stories with strong undercurrents, with a possibility of varied interpretations.”

Anant says he kept in touch with Benegal even after he moved. “I discovered he had met the legendary director, Guru Dutt, who is Shyam’s second cousin and Deepika Padukone is also related to the family. Shyam even bought a house in Bengaluru and wanted to live here, but did not move because he felt in Mumbai, he could at least make ad films, if nothing else worked as all his contacts were there.”

Remaining true to the narrative

Benegal with Amrish Puri, Nana Pathekar, Amita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

KS Shridhar, Director of Films Division, which is now merged with NFDC talks about his association with Benegal. “We worked together for the Films Division and later the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), right from its inception,” says Shridhar over a call from Mumbai.

“Shyam made many films for the Films Division and kept in touch with us. He gave a lot of importance to documentaries.” Shridhar met Benegal in 2014. “He considered MIFF a great platform for documentaries, short films and animation. He was a soft-spoken person, one who would not get excited or angry. He was always composed. Each time I spoke to him, I would learn something — that is the kind of knowledge he had.”

Nothing deterred Benegal from making films, Shridhar says. Also a documentary filmmaker, Shridhar says, “Shyam has seen a few of my films and would always say, ‘when you work for a government organisation, you need to stick to certain rules’. That is what he also followed, always sticking to the topic and not veering off the core subject.”

Shridhar remembers Benegal advice, “Keep in mind that irrespective of what film you make, do not make it in a manner that creates bureaucratic issues. You cannot take money from the government and criticise it.”

Hidden dynamics

Bengal with HN Narahari Rao (extreme right) and Girish Kasaravalli
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

HN Narahari Rao, Vice President of Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) and founder of Suchitra Film Society, also had a very close bond with Benegal.

His book, Most Memorable Films of the World: From the Diaries of Film Societies, was launched by Benegal, who also wrote the preface for the book.

“I worked with the FFSI as the vice president while Shyam was the President and when he retired in 2012, I took over as President. For six years we worked together and Shyam inaugurated the very first BIFFes (Bangalore International Film Festival) in Suchitra, while I worked as the artistic director for the festival. A few films were also screened at Tribhuvan theatre then,” says the 84-year-old Narahari.

When he wrote the book, The Film Society Movement in India, published by the Asian Film Foundation in 2009, Benegal gave interviews for the book. “Every time he was in Bengaluru, he would always make it a point to meet me. We had a close bond.”

As a director, Narahari says: “Shyam was keen on the history of India and this can be seen in his films on Netaji or Bharat Ek Khoj. His death has hit us hard. I will not, however, call it a loss, as life and death are part of our existence. What stands out are his films, that speak volumes about oppression in various levels.”

Using Ankur as an example, Narahari says, “The beautiful climax, where the oppressed man picks a stone and throws it at the window, that is the ‘Ankur’ the beginning or the seed of a revolution in his life! What a masterpiece.”