Shyam Benegal Funeral: Filmmaker Cremated With State Honour In Mumbai, Celebs Pay Last Respect

Legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal was cremated with full state honour on December 24, 2024. An array of celebrities arrived to pay their last respect.

Shyam Benegal was the pioneer of India's parallel cinema movement. The legend passed away on December 23, 2024, at 6.30 pm at  Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai. He was 90. The death of the filmmaker was confirmed by his daughter Pia Benegal. He was known for his movies, such as Ankur, Mandi, Manthan, and many more, which were released during the mid-1970s and 1980s. The filmmaker had been suffering from a chronic kidney ailment. The last rites of the filmmaker, who turned 90 on December 14, 2024, was held around 3 pm at Dadar's Shivaji Park crematorium.

Naseruddin Shah gets emotional as he bids goodbye to Shyam Benegal

Veteran actor, Naseruddin, who has worked with Shyam Benegal in many movies, had turned emotional bidding goodbye to the filmmaker. Naseruddin had once said that he owed everything to Shyam Benegal. The actor looked sad and was consoled by actor, Boman Irani who stood next to Naseruddin. His wife, Ratna Pathak Shah and their son, Vivaan Shah had also collaborated with the filmmaker in many movies. Talking about the filmmaker, veteran star Naseruddin, in an interview with Filmfare had said:

"It is impossible to describe in a few words, what Shyam meant to me. I wonder what I would have become if he hadn't had faith in me when no one else did. He and Nira (Benegal, Shyam Benegal's wife) were a huge support in my difficult days. He did whatever he could with his life, right to the end. Not many people can claim to have done that."

Watch the full video here.

Gulzar pays his last respect to Shyam Benegal

The antim darshan of Shyam Benegal was done with full state honours and a three-gun salute. Renowned lyricist, Gulzar Sahab was seen bidding a last emotional farewell to Shyam Benegal. He was seen folding his hands and meeting the loved one's and bereaved family members of Benegal. Apart from Gulzar Sahab, Vicky Kaushal's dad, Shyam Kaushal along with filmmaker Hansal Mehta, Nandita Das, Ashoke Pandit, Ishita Arun, Javed Akhtar made an appearance.

Watch the full video here.

In an interview with PTI, Gulzar mentioned that what Shyam brought to cinema was a revolution that could never be replicated Remembering the filmmaker, Gulzar said:

"He hasn't departed, we have departed from him and seen him off. He brought a revolution, he has gone with that revolution of change in cinema. Nobody else will be able to bring that wave, revolution once again. We will remember him for a long time and we will talk about him for a long to come."

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More about Shyam Benegal

The legendary filmmaker was known for his contributions to parallel cinema. His noteworthy movies include Ankur, which spoke about caste and gender issues. Nishant, a movie about feudal oppression, marked India's entry to the Oscars. Benegal's film, Manthan was about India's White Revolution. Benegal's other famous work includes Bhumika and Zubeidaa which was about love and expectations from the society. His films revolved around themes related to society and had realistic storytelling. He had received many National Film Awards and his last movie was Mujib: The Making of a Nation. 

Team BollywoodShaadis offers condolences to Shyam Benegal's family in this time of grief.

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