Shabana Azmi had shared photos from Shyam Benegal`s 90th birthday celebration
Actress Shabana Azmi started her career with Shyam Benegal's film 'Ankur' in 1973. The film, a realistic drama of economic and sexual exploitation in Telangana, won Shabana the National Film Award for Best Actress. It is probably fitting that Benegal's last photo, from his 90th birthday celebration, was shared by the actress who just completed 50 years in films.
Shyam Benegal, often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, passed away on Monday evening at a Mumbai hospital, after suffering from kidney ailment for a long time. He celebrated his 90th birthday on December 14, and Shabana had shared photos from the celebration.
Sharing the photo featuring Benegal and actor Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana wrote, "On #Shyam Benegal's 90th birthday with my coactor of many films and my favourite actor @Naseeruddin Shah . Why aren't more people casting us together ?!!"
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Sharing another photo on X, she had written, "Some of his actors with Shyam Benegal's on his 90th birthday Mashallah." In the heartwarming photo, the veteran actress shared the frame with Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapur, Atul Tiwari, Divya Dutta, filmmaker-actor and Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal Kapoor.
At the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram, earlier this month, Shabana Azmi remembered how director Shyam Benegal transformed her into the village girl in the movie Ankur from an urban college girl. She had never stepped into a village before that. The screening of the film at IFFK coincided with Benegal's birthday.
Azmi graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 1973, and just a year later, made her cinematic debut in Shyam Benegal's critically acclaimed social drama 'Ankur' (1974). Her powerful portrayal in the film not only won over audiences but also earned her the National Award for Best Actress - an incredible feat for her debut performance.
The actress has said that she fondly sees Benegal as much more than a filmmaker. "He is my mentor and guru, albeit a reluctant one. But above all the other equations that I share with him, I consider him a dear dear friend," she said.
