It was in the early 70s, a time when the Hindi film industry was a tightly-knit, closed circle, with its doors and windows firmly shut. No one from outside could enter. This was also the era of multi-starrers, where the industry had become bloated and self-absorbed. There seemed to be no space for any young technician or filmmaker to break through. But amidst this, there emerged a filmmaker from Hyderabad, swimming against the tide. The name was Shyam Benegal.
He has made 21 feature films, two feature-scale documentaries, and also had a successful career in advertising. Before celebrating the legacy of Shyam Benegal as a filmmaker, it is very important to understand the time when he entered the world of cinema and made his mark. The first feature was made in 1974. He chose stories that he liked, tapped new talents, used Hindi cinema's strongest element dance and music in a neo-realistic way. and was certainly a ray of hope for aspiring actors who were dreaming of entering films while studying in Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
All filmmakers are dreamers, and so was Benegal. However, to fuel those dreams, money was needed. Finding a sponsor for art-house cinema was a monumental task back then. Yet, Shyam found ways to make the films he believed in. His filmography is a masterclass in understanding society, the system, women, and the culture of the times he lived in. Going by his work, it rings true when he said, "If there's any real fear I have, it is that of repeating myself." Hence, repetition and formula are things one would not find in his films.
Born on December 14, 1934, in Hyderabad, Shyam Benegal's passion for cinema began in his childhood. A small cinema near his home sparked his love for film. Watching two films a week, one Hollywood and one Indian, he was quickly hooked on the world of make-believe. His fascination grew as he befriended the projectionist so that he could watch more movies. His father, Sridhar B. Benegal, a professional still photographer, further nurtured his interest with a 16mm Bolex camera, making home movies about their large family (Shyam had nine siblings). This early exposure to films, coupled with family discussions about them, made filmmaking feel like a natural ambition, even though, at the time, pursuing it seemed unrealistic in Hyderabad.
He took a long time to begin making films. When he was 18, he vowed that if he didn’t make his first film by the time he was 20, he would die. Then it continued: if he didn’t make his first film by 22, 25, 30... The years passed, but he persisted. Finally, at the age of 39, he made his first film, Ankur (1974). The script, which he had initially written in college, had been drafted and redrafted countless times. He took it to every producer in Mumbai (then Bombay), but for 20 years, no one was willing to invest in it. It was a long journey before a producer finally agreed to put a little money into the film.
Shyam was successful in advertising and was already making documentaries, but cinema was where his heart was. So, he decided to leave his job to pursue filmmaking. It was a gentleman named Lalit Bijlani, who used to distribute advertising films, and agreed to sponsor Ankur. His debut film turned out to be a successful venture. One of the first people Shyam showed the film to was Satyajit Ray, who asked him what he expected from it. Shyam said he would be happy if the film played at the Eros Cinema in Bombay over a weekend. Ray, however, predicted that it would run for several weekends. In reality, Ankur ran for 25 weeks.
The success of Ankur highlighted Shyam's ability to cast his films correctly. One of the strengths of Ankur was its casting. It featured two entirely new faces, Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag. In fact, everyone in the film was a newcomer. The only person who had shot a feature film before was Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer who later turned director and screenwriter.
Shyam's second film, Nishant (1975), followed a similar pattern, made for the same producer, though with some new faces. It was mostly shot in Pochampalli village in Telangana (then Andhra Pradesh), famously known as the "weavers' village" for its handwoven sarees. Along with Girish Karnad, the film introduced fresh talents like Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil.
While his first two films were backed by the same producer, Shyam’s third film, Manthan (1976), was made in a very different and remarkable way. Manthan stands as a glowing example of the adage "where there’s a will, there’s a way. The film was India's first crowdfunded venture, with contributions from 5 lakh farmers, each donating Rs 2 to support its production. This unique initiative was spearheaded by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which played a pivotal role in making the film.
The success of Manthan inspired Shyam to adopt the same crowdfunding model for several of his later films. Both Susman (1987) and Antamaad (1981) were made in a similar manner. However, before these two, there came a masterpiece. A film called Bhumika (1977), shot during the Emergency. It was based on the life of the trailblazing Marathi actress Hansa Wadkar. What was truly remarkable about the film, however, was its soundtrack -- or rather, the lack of one. The film had no background music whatsoever, yet it is often considered the one 'musical' film Shyam has made, as there are songs in it, even though there is no background score. Upon its release, the film tanked but eventually found an audience during its third release.
Shyam, who once referred to his film Kondura (also known as Anugraham, 1978) as one of the least known of his works, took on a fascinating challenge to adapt a brilliant Marathi novel by the writer Khanolkar into Telugu nativity. The story delves into the Brahmin psyche and examines deeply traditional societies where Southern India is still more rooted in tradition compared to the North. The Telugu version received a wonderful release but also sparked tremendous controversy. In fact, one Telugu literary magazine devoted an entire year-long debate to the film. However, the Hindi version of the film never saw the light of day in theatres and was only eventually shown on television. Despite being one of Shyam's lesser-known works, the film was featured in the Indian Panorama at the 1979 Berlin International Film Festival.
The only time in Shyam's career when his star was also his producer was with Shashi Kapoor, with whom he made Junoon (1979)and Kalyug (1981). Kalyug, in particular, stands out as an intriguing film, as it draws heavily from the themes of the Mahabharata. During a retrospective celebrating his cinema in 2002, Shyam shared that the Mahabharata encapsulates the entire spectrum of human archetypes, and these can be applied across time, place, or context. He felt this timeless quality made it a perfect foundation for Kalyug, which tells the story of an industrial family in collapse. Shyam found parallels between the characters of the Mahabharata and those in the film, infusing the ancient epic's essence into a contemporary narrative.
The filmmaker, never one to be confined by norms, even those of his own making, sought to break free from his usual style of storytelling with Mandi (1983), one of the most iconic films of his career. With Mandi, he challenged the conventional grammar of filmmaking, rejecting the typical structure of beginning, middle, and end. The film was born out of his desire to move away from focusing on a single protagonist. Instead, Mandi relied on a stellar ensemble cast, with Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Nina Gupta, Ila Arun, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri all infusing life into the story, which was based on the classic Urdu short story Aanandi by Ghulam Abbas. Following Mandi, Shyam continued to explore ensemble-driven narratives, steering clear of the traditional focus on a lone protagonist.