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Veteran actor Shabana Azmi shared heartfelt memories and anecdotes about her association with legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal during his prayer meet. Her tribute was filled with humor, respect, and deep admiration for the iconic filmmaker, who she regarded as her mentor and friend.
Recalling her first interactions with cinematographer Govind Nihalani, a close associate of Benegal, Azmi narrated an amusing incident. “When Govind first saw me outside Shyam’s office, I was in torn jeans and a t-shirt. He wrote to Girish Karnad saying, ‘After looking all over the world, Shyam has found a rat to play Laxmi.’”
Azmi continued, “Three days later, I had a scene to perform, and Govind came up to me and apologized. He said, ‘I told Shyam you had chosen a rat, but you are really very good.’ Despite this, he never cast me in any of his films. Thank you, Govind, for always being Shyam’s eyes,” she quipped, adding a touch of lightheartedness to the emotional gathering.
Shyam Benegal breathed his last at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, where he was undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease. The legendary director, who is known for films such as Ankur, Mandi, Nishant and Junoon was cremated with full state honours and a three-gun salute.
Born on December 14, 1934, in a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Hyderabad, Benegal collaborated extensively with actors from FTII and NSD, including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri.His films left an indelible impact on audiences, addressing relevant socio-political themes with remarkable depth.
From Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar to Naseeruddin Shah and Divya Dutta, several members of the film industry gathered to pay homage to Shyam Benegal, who passed away on December 23 at the age of 90.
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