Famous filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away in Mumbai at the age of 90 on December 23. Benegal was suffering from a kidney disease which was also the reason behind his death. However, despite being such aged, as per news agency PTI, he had stated about working on three projects. “I’m working on two to three projects; they are all different from one another. It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen”, Benegal said at the screening of his recent film, Mujib: The Making of a Nation. Benegal was majorly for his contributions towards the upliftment of the parallel cinema and his career spanned over six decades. Born on December 14, 1934, a look at the key milestones he has achieved throughout his career.

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Lesser Known About Shyam Benegal’s Film Career

1. One of the major milestones behind Shyam Benegal’s film career was the direction of the TV series ‘Bharat: Ek Khoj, which was depicted from Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Discovery of India’. The series brought the country’s freedom struggle to the living rooms and explained about many unknown freedom fighters. Apart from directing the series, Benegal wrote the screenplay and was involved in editing of the project.
2. Shyam Benegal won various awards throughout his career. This includes 18 national film award, one Filmfare and Nandi award. The trailblazer won Padma Shri in 1971, followed by a Padman Bhushan in 1991. He was also honoured with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2005.
3. The Shyam Benegal Committee was formed in the year 2016 by the Government of India for the key suggestions and improvements that can be made in the Central Board of Film Certification. The major objective behind the formation of the committee was to modernise the film certification and censorship procedures. The other motives included ensuring creative storytelling in the Indian cinema and many more.
4. Apart from his contributions behind the camera, he collaborated with music composer Vanraj Bhatia, whose music explained the inner soul of his films.
5. He gave important guidance to veteran actors such as Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, and Amrish Puri. He also played a major role in shaping their careers.

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Shyam Benegal’s filmography is full of movies that were more related to the ground realities of India rather than modern-day cinema.