Consider the following statements about a prominent film personality of India:

He was born in Hyderabad. He emerged in the 1970s with a series of films that challenged mainstream Bollywood. He became widely known for Bharat Ek Khoj, a landmark 53-episode television series. He directed a 2023 biopic about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Identify the personality from the following:

Shyam Benegal.Key Points

Shyam Benegal:

• Birth and Death:

  • Born: 14 December 1934, Hyderabad

  • Died: 23 December 2024, aged 90, at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai (due to chronic kidney disease)

• Profession:

  • Indian film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker

  • Considered a pioneer of parallel cinema

  • Widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers post-1970s

• Awards and Honours:

  • 18 National Film Awards

  • 1 Filmfare Award

  • 1 Nandi Award

  • Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005) – India's highest cinematic honour

  • Padma Shri (1976) – India's fourth-highest civilian honour

  • Padma Bhushan (1991) – India's third-highest civilian honour

  • V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)

• Early Life and Career:

  • Father: Sridhar B. Benegal, a prominent photographer

  • Started career as a copywriter

  • First documentary: Gher Betha Ganga (Gujarati, 1962)

• Notable Films:

  • Ankur (1973)

  • Nishant (1975)

  • Manthan (1976)

  • Bhumika (1977)

  • These established him as a pioneer of the new wave film movement

• Muslim Women Trilogy:

  • Mammo (1994)

  • Sardari Begum (1996)

  • Zubeidaa (2001)

  • All won National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Hindi

• Other Achievements:

  • Won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times