Shyam Benegal Passes Away: Amitabh Bachchan, Nafisa Ali, Karisma Kapoor Pay Tribute To The Legendary Filmmaker

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) Tributes continued to pour in for celebrated filmmaker Shyam Benegal, with Amitabh Bachchan, Nafisa Ali, Karisma Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj, and Ajay Devgn remembering the "stalwart" and "legend" for his contribution to Indian cinema. Benegal, a pioneer whose films such as "Ankur", "Mandi", "Nishant", and "Junoon" defined the Indian 'parallel cinema movement' in the 1970s and 1980s, died on Monday at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital due to chronic kidney disease. He was 90.

Shabana Azmi, a close friend and Benegal's frequent collaborator, shared the funeral details on her Instagram Stories. The last rites will take place at 3 pm on Tuesday at Shivaji Park Electric Crematorium in Mumbai's Dadar neighbourhood. Bachchan paid homage to the director in an X post. "We have lost another stalwart of the Film Industry today .. Shyam Benegal passes away .. Prayers and condolences (sic)" he wrote.

Nafisa Ali, who worked with Benegal in 1978's "Junoon", said the filmmaker made her world "so special". "... and saw in me something that no one else did, my vulnerability and captured eternity, the essence of me... Condolences (are) not enough, my heart is in turmoil. Why is life so short?" she wrote as she sent love to Benegal's wife Nira and daughter Pia. "May you change the canvas of the universe and teach humanity that life is a film created by our vision," she said in her post. Kapoor shared a still from Benegal's 2001 film "Zubeidaa" in which she played the titular role. In another post on her Instagram Story, the actor shared a behind-the-scenes picture with the director from the film's set.

"Rest in Peace Shyam Babu. Legend forever. Ur Zubeidaa.. #ShyamBenegal," she wrote in the caption. Her "Zubeidaa" co-star Lillete Dubey remembered Benegal as an "erudite, kind, intelligent and enormously talented" filmmaker. "He knew exactly what he wanted from an actor and how best to get it... and was a joy to work with ..( I always dreamt of working with him again) "His magnificent body of work speaks for itself .. individualistic, powerful, meaningful and above all exemplifying quality! He set in motion a wave that carried so many others with it .. leading Hindi cinema into new directions," she wrote on Instagram. Former journalist Khalid Mohamed, who wrote the screenplay of "Zubeidaa" based on the life story of his mother Zubeida Begum, shared a photo of the director and wrote, "To sir with eternal love."

"Your films were more than just stories - they were lessons in humanity and culture. You've left an indelible mark on all of us. Rest in peace, Sir. Om Shanti #ShyamBenegal," actor Ajay Devgn wrote on X. In a long post on Instagram, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj said Benegal's death marks an end of an era. "I still remember the struggles of my early days as a music composer, when I would carry my audio tapes from one film director’s office to another, hoping to get a chance to showcase my work. But it was Shyam Babu who stood out from the rest. He was the only one who took the time to meet me, a stranger with a dream," the director said. "I recall walking into his Tardeo office, my heart filled with nervous anticipation.

But Shyam Babu welcomed me with a warm smile, listened to my music, and offered words of encouragement that I will never forget. 'You are talented,’ he said. 'Keep pursuing your passion, and success will follow.’ His kindness and generosity of spirit left a lasting impression on me," he added. Benegal's most recent work was the 2023 biographical "Mujib: The Making of a Nation", a biopic on Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangladeshi actor Arifin Shuvoo, who played the title role in the film, shared a black-and-white photograph with the filmmaker from the movie sets.

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar posted on his Instagram Stories, "A master from the golden era of Indian cinema, inspiring countless generations with timeless films." Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar shared a photo of Benegal with her stepmother Azmi and Smita Patil, the actors of his acclaimed film "Nishant", at its Cannes Film Festival premiere in 1976. "The OG Mr Benegal. Cannes 1976 with his film Nishant. With him were the two leading ladies he had introduced to the screen, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. RIP Sir. Thank You For The New Wave. Thank You For The Films," Akhtar wrote on Instagram. Actor Shreyas Talpade called Benegal an "institution" in himself. The duo worked together in the 2008 comedy drama "Welcome To Sajjanpur". "Dear Shyam sir...I consider myself blessed that I had the privilege of working with you... Every day on the sets of Welcome to Sajjanpur felt like attending a mesmerising masterclass. The Shreyas who started the film and the Shreyas who walked off the sets after the shoot were different individuals--all thanks to you," Talpade wrote.

Veteran actor Boman Irani, who starred in Benegal's 2010 movie "Well Done Abba", said there will never be another filmmaker like him. "A single conversation with him meant you were wiser, brighter, and blessed by the end of it. Those who did not know him should find him in his mighty body of work. If one lined up all the posters of his films, you would need a bigger wall. If you lined up all that he could speak about, you would need a bigger library. If you could be half the man he was, you would need another lifetime," he said. Actor Randeep Hooda said Benegal 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," Hooda wrote on X. Onir said it was Benegal's "Junoon" that made him want to become a filmmaker. "I was in Class 8 when I saw that film. I didn't totally understand it at that point but it made me dream of cinema. He was the master of parallel cinema. I remember watching films like 'Manthan', 'Bhumika', 'Junoon' and 'Kalyug'. Some of them were so ahead of their time..." the director told PTI Videos.