Veteran filmmaker and director Shyam Benegal died today on 23 December at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. He was 90 years old. According to sources close to the family, Shyam Benegal fell at his home two days ago, after which he was admitted to the hospital. Shyam Benegal was also suffering from kidney problems. After being in a coma for two days in the hospital, he breathed his last at 6:38 pm on Monday.
Shyam Benegal's daughter Pia told that her father was suffering from chronic kidney disease for a long time, which had now become serious and due to that he died. Sources at Wockhardt Hospital said that Shyam Benegal was admitted to the ICU. He died during treatment in the hospital.
Shyam Benegal is known for films like 'Ankur', 'Mandi', 'Manthan', which were mainly released in the 70s and 80s. These films of his depicted various aspects of society. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991 for his contribution to Indian cinema. Some of his major works include films like 'Manthan', 'Zubaida', 'Sardar Begum'. Apart from this, he also directed popular television serials like 'Bharat Ek Khoj' and 'Samvidhan'.
Shyam Benegal was born on 14 December 1934 in Hyderabad. He belonged to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father Sridhar B. Benegal, who was from Karnataka, was a photographer who aroused Shyam's interest in filmmaking. At the age of just 12, Shyam made his first film with a camera given to him by his father. He did his master's degree in economics from Osmania University in Hyderabad and founded the Hyderabad Film Society there, which was the beginning of his cinema journey.
Shyam Benegal celebrated his 90th birthday on 14 December with his family and friends. The event was attended by eminent personalities like actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapoor, Atul Tiwari, filmmaker-actor and Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal Kapoor.