Shyam Benegal is a critically acclaimed independent filmmaker, screenwriter and public intellectual of India. With his first four feature films Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) he became the pioneer of new genre of films known as “Parallel Cinema” in India. His films often dealt with issues of gender equity, social justice, and political conflicts that were portrayed with great nuance by the powerhouse team of actors like Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, all of whom were discovered for the screen by Shyam. Shyam Benegal has won many national and international awards, has had many retrospectives of his films across the world and has been invited as a Jury for many international film festivals. A prolific writer and a sought after speaker, Shyam Benegal is known as voice of reason for the marginalized. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. On 8 August 2007, he was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2005. He has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times.
