‘Shyam Benegal Wasn’t Just A Legend’

‘He
was
a
visionary
who
redefined
storytelling
and
inspired
generations.’

As
news
spread
of
Shyam
Benegal’s


passing
on
December
23,
heartfelt
tributes
started
flooding
social
media.

Manoj
Bajpayee:
A
heartbreaking
loss
for
Indian
cinema.
Shyam
Benegal
wasn’t
just
a
legend,
he
was
a
visionary
who
redefined
storytelling
and
inspired
generations.
Working
with
him
in

Zubeidaa
was
a
transformative
experience
for
me,
exposing
me
to
his
unique
style
of
storytelling
&
nuanced
understanding
of
performances.

I’ll
forever
be
grateful
for
the
lessons
I
learned
under
his
direction.
It
was
an
absolute
honor
to
have
had
the
opportunity
to
work
with
him.

His
legacy
will
live
on
in
the
stories
he
told
and
the
lives
he
touched.
Rest
in
peace
Shyam
Babu,
Om
Shanti.

Chiranjeevi:
Deeply
saddened
at
the
departure
of
Shri
Shyam
Benegal,
one
of
the
finest
film
makers
and
great
intellectuals
of
our
country.
He
discovered
&
nurtured
some
of
the
brightest
film
talents
of
India.
His
films,
biographies
and
documentaries
form
part
of
India’s
greatest
cultural.

Shekhar
Kapur:
He
created
‘the
new
wave’
cinema.
#shyambenegal
will
always
be
remembered
as
the
man
that
changed
the
direction
of
Indian
Cinema
with
films
like

Ankur,
Manthan
and
countless
others.
He
created
stars
out
great
actors
like
Shabama
Azmi
and
Smita
Patil.
Farewell
my
friend
and
guide.

Akshay
Kumar:
Pained
to
know
of
Shyam
Benegalji‘s
demise.
One
of
the
finest
filmmakers
in
our
country,
truly
a
legend.
Om
Shanti.

Hansal
Mehta:
Go
well
Shyam
babu.
Thank
you
for
inspiring
many
like
me.
Thank
you
for
the
cinema.
Thank
you
for
giving
tough
stories
and
flawed
characters
such
amazing
dignity.
Truly
among
the
last
of
our
greats.

Vivek
Agnihotri:
I
had
the
privilege
of
meeting
Shyam
Babu
in
1996,
through
my
wife,
during
a
trial
screening
of
his
ambitious

The
Making
of
The
Mahatma
at
the
NFDC
theatre
in
Worli.
Pallavi
(Joshi)
started
working
with
him
at
the
age
of
16,
with

Susman,
and
he
was
like
a
mentor
to
her.

I
believe
he
was
a
guru
to
everyone
he
directed.
It
was
the
first
time
I
encountered
a
creative
mind
with
such
an
evolved
and
nuanced
worldview.

Since
that
day,
I
seized
every
opportunity
to
learn
from
him
—
not
just
about
cinema,
but
about
various
crafts
and
social
issues.
Each
conversation
with
him
brought
forth
a
new,
unique
perspective
—
an
angle
we
often
overlook
in
filmmaking
because
it’s
either
too
obvious
or
deceptively
simple.

Shyam
Babu
had
the
extraordinary
gift
of
addressing
complex
social
issues
with
the
utmost
simplicity,
which
is
what
made
his
craft
so
profound.

Shyam
Babu
was
not
merely
a
film-maker;
he
was
an
institution.
He
will
forever
remain
one
of
the
towering
monuments
of
Indian
cinema.

For
those
who
never
had
the
fortune
to
meet
him,
do
not
despair.
He
lives
on
through
his
films
—
a
rare
instance
where
the
creator
and
the
creation
are
indistinguishable.

Goodbye,
Shyam
Babu.
Your
physical
presence
will
be
deeply
missed.

Rahul
Dholakia:
The
father
of
art
house/new
wave/=alternative
or
simply
fine
cinema
—
who
gave
us
classics
like

Ankur,
Manthan,
Nishant,
Mandi..
Junoon,
Kalyug
and
many
more
..
#ShyamBenegal
sir
is
no
more
—
a
fine
man,
a
gentle
soul
and
one
of
India’s
finest
film-makers
–
Was
fortunate
to
have
met
him,
and
also
was
my
father’s
friend..
alas.

Sudhir
Mishra:
Much
will
be
written
about
Shyam
Benegal
but
for
me
not
many
talk
about
the
fact
that
there
was
a
lament
in
his
films
and
a
sadness
about
the
fact
we
were
not
living
in
the
best
of
all
possible
Worlds.

If
there
is
one
thing
Shyam
Benegal
expressed
best:
It
was
the
Poetry
of
the
ordinary
face
and
ordinary
lives!
I
didn’t
know
that
he
would
leave
us
so
soon
when
I
said
this
in
Lucknow
at
the
launch
of
the
book
about
him
by
Atul
Tiwari.

Karan
Johar:
Thank
you
for
your
Cinema…
for
stories
that
shaped
incredible
talent
and
for
pushing
boundaries
and
creating
pride
in
Indian
Cinema.

Kajol:
Deeply
saddened
by
the
loss
of
legendary
Shyam
Benegal.
His
contributions
to
Indian
cinema
are
immeasurable
and
his
legacy
will
live
on
through
his
incredible
body
of
work.

Anupam
Kher:
Deeply
saddened
to
know
about
the
sad
demise
of
legendary
filmmaker
#ShyamBenegal.
He
was
the
messiah
for
actors,
writers
and
technicians
of
alternative
cinema
in
#India.
He
told
stories
differently.

When
I
went
to
meet
him
to
ask
for
a
role
during
the
making
of
#Mandi,
he
looked
at
me
and
said,
“I
don’t
have
anything
substantial
for
you
in
this
film.
And
I
don’t
think
you
should
do
a
smaller
role!
Why
don’t
you
wait.
May
be
something
substantial
will
come
your
way!”

And
when
#Saaransh
happened
he
was
extremely
happy
for
me!!
Goodbye
#ShyamBabu.
Thanks
for
your
brilliance
and
generosity.
Will
miss
you
and
your
infectious
smile.

Randeep
Hooda:
#ShyamBenegal
might
have
passed
but
he
will
live
on
through
his
unforgettable
films
..
he
inspired
so
many
lives
including
mine
through
his
cinema
..
sadly
missed
working
with
him
a
couple
of
times..
always
kind,
soft
spoken
and
thoughtful..
he
continued
doing
what
he
loved
right
till
the
end,
inspiring
us
further,
all
over
again
..
thank
you
Benegal

saab.

Hema
Malini:
Renowned
and
highly
respected
film
maker,
pioneer
of
parallel
cinema,
Shyam
Benegal
passed
away
today.
The
film
industry
has
lost
another
doyen
who
has
won
national
recognition
with
Padma
Shri
and
later
Padma
Bhushan
and
brought
Indian
cinema
to
global
fame.

Prosenjit
Chatterjee:
Farewell
to
the
legendary
#ShyamBenegal,
the
master
storyteller
who
redefined
Indian
cinema
with
his
realism
and
depth.
His
films
will
continue
to
inspire
generations.
Rest
in
peace
maestro.

Photographs
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff.com