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Mumbai, Days after filmmaker Shyam Benegal handed away, his actor buddies Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah on Saturday fondly recalled his “extensive, heat smile” and the way he stayed true in his pursuit as a artistic individual.
At a memorial service at Y B Chavan Centre in south Mumbai, a number of movie business folks, together with Azmi, Shah, Javed Akhtar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ila Arun, Prahlad Kakkar, Urmila Matondkar, Divya Dutta, gathered to honour Benegal.
“The primary picture I’ve of Shyam Benegal was in 1973 and what struck me about him probably the most was his extensive, heat smile as I went to go to him at ASP workplace the place he was the artistic director and was on the lookout for solid for ‘Ankur’.
“The final picture I’ve of Shyam was on December 14, 2024, when he, Nira and Pia had organised a celebration for his 90th birthday. After spending a lovely hour with us, he was whisked away with that very same heat extensive smile,” Azmi mentioned.
The filmmaker handed away on December 23 after affected by a continual kidney illness.
Azmi, who collaborated with Benegal on movies like “Ankur”, “Nishant”, “Junoon”, “Susman”, and “Antarnaad”, shared an anecdote about Benegal’s private life.
“Not many individuals know that Shyam Benegal was a romantic man. He bought to know that Nira loves yellow flowers, so the day they bought married, he despatched her a bouquet of yellow flowers and a message written on it saying, ‘Solely 23 hours’. Then the bouquet stored coming each hour until they bought married. Are you able to think about? If I have been Nira, I might’ve postponed the wedding, it was so pretty,” Azmi added.
Shah, who labored with Benegal on basic motion pictures like “Nishant”, “Manthan” and “Mandi”, mentioned the filmmaker stayed true in his pursuit as a artistic individual.
“Dying is the unimportant a part of life and what’s vital is what you do with the time you’ve got. It’s simple that Shyam used each single second of his life, breath and iota of power in a artistic pursuit of some variety or the opposite,” he mentioned.
On the memorial service, Atul Tiwari gifted Benegal’s spouse Nira and daughter Pia Benegal a e book he had penned on the late director, “Mentor”.
Kakkar mentioned he admired Benegal for a way he impressed everybody round him, from actors to writers.
“His methodology was that if you’re ever going to be a filmmaker, you possibly can not have a designation, you possibly can by no means say, ‘This isn’t my drawback’. That is the one factor he taught us, that all the things to do with movies, from serving meals to cooking to cleansing to supervising carpenters to sitting with writers, all the things is your job.
“I might by no means think about his nice generosity of spirit, and his capability to show, mentor and encourage. I’ve seen him inspiring actors, writers and other people round him to carry out on what they may do. That’s the best reward to all of us,” he mentioned.
Azmi mentioned she thought of Benegal her mentor and infrequently sought his options on the presents she acquired as an actor.
“Shyam Benegal was my guru, though a reluctant one. He did not need to be referred to as anybody’s guru, however nonetheless he was my guru. He was my guru not solely as a result of he was my first director however by being round him I learnt so many classes of life.
“He was my mentor. I consulted him once in a while a few mission that I ought to do or not. He wished neither to be my guru nor my mentor. He was my good friend, and equal and he created that area for this friendship. He gave me equal respect and talent to face,” Azmi recalled.
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