Shyam Benegal Dies: Pioneering Indian Filmmaker Was 90

Pioneering Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal has died aged 90.

Benegal died today in Mumbai following a chronic kidney disease, his daughter Pia Benegal confirmed to India Today. He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday with friends, family and the likes of Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor, according to the local outlet.

Benegal was a pioneering film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, widely regarded as one of the best since the 1970s.

He started his career working as a copywriter for a Mumbai advertising agency while simultaneously making documentaries. He made his first, Gher Betha Ganga (Ganges at the Doorstep), in 1962.

Benegal rose to fame with a move into feature films in the early 1970s. His first, Ankur (The Seedling), starred Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi and was a critical and commercial success. Ankur was followed by New Indian Cinema hits including Nishant Manthan and Bhumika. His other credits of many down the years included Trikal, Junoon and The Seventh Horse of the Sun.

His latest movie came last year, Mujib: The Making of a Nation. Ten years prior, he was behind TV series Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India.

Benegal scooped numerous gongs over the years including 18 national film awards and, in 2005, India’s highest recognition in the field of cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Benegal is survived by his wife, Nira, and daughter Pia.