It’s a very heartbreaking, shocking, and sad news that Indian Film Director, Shyam Benegal died due to chronic kidney disease at the age of 90 on December 23, 2024. In several past days, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai. Several days ago, Shyam Benegal turned or aged 90 on his birthday on December 14, 2024, and is survived by his daughter, Pia Benegal who is a costume designer and wife Nira Benegal. He also received India’s highest award in Cinema the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the year 2005. Shyam Benegal was also awarded the fourth-highest civilian honor, Padam Shri by the Government of India in the year 1976. He also received the third highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan award for his great contributions in the field of arts in the year 1991.

Indian Film Director, Shyam Sundar Benegal was born on December 14, 1934, in a Saraswat Brahmin family in Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. Earlier, he received or got an M.A. in Economics degree from Osmania University in Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. He started his career as a copywriter and made the first Documentary movie, Gher Betha Ganga in Gujrati which was released in the year 1962. The first four popular movies or films of Indian Film Director, Shyam Benegal such as Nishant (1975), Bhumika (1977), Ankur (1973), and Manthan (1976). He also made films which are based on Muslim Women such as Zubeidaa (2001), Mammo (1994), and Sardari Begum (1996). All these Muslim Women-based films won the National Film Award for Best Movie in Hindi. Earlier, Shyam Benegal was also honored or received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi 7 times and was also awarded or received the V. Shantaram Life Achievement Award in the year 2018.

Earlier Shyam Benegal was married to Nira Mukherjee Benegal with one daughter name Pia Benegal who is a costume designer for about three decades and also worked in several movies. There is another popular film by Shyam Benegal is Mandi that was released in the year 1983 with starred popular actresses Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. Shyam Benegal was suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years and died at 6:38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai on December 23, 2024 due to kidney disease.

RIP Shyam Benegal Sir