Shyam Benegal's cinema was daringly different, and witty too

It is commonly believed that Shyam Benegal, who died on 23 December 2024, pioneered the New Indian Cinema.

- GAUTAMAN BHASKARAN

But this is not quite true.

This credit ought to go to directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen - who created a kind of work that was rooted in and far removed from Bollywood's song-and-dance fare.

However, this is not to belittle Benegal's immense contribution to Indian cinema. Like Raj Kapoor's early work, Benegal's first attempts at motion and movement had a zing about them without being loud or crass. Kapoor followed Nehruvian ideology, while Benegal was truly independent and made movies that were meaningful and even provocative.

They cried about the social malaise that plagued India. They shouted about the downtrodden, and even Benegal's later films, which, though being breezy and light, never missed focusing on problems that were worrying our country of millions with so many languages and religions.

Let us not even talk about dialects! Bengal's first feature, Ankur, in 1973, was a searing look at rural poverty and exploitation. It was about oppression and cruelty, and it was heartrending to see the poor suffer.

Benegal's work was daringly different, and they gripped audiences. If his success came from the urge to steer clear of the beaten path, his enormous discipline also helped in his efforts to achieve brilliance.