Shyam Benegal: Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Manoj Bajpayee Mourn Death Of India's 'Most Humane Storyteller'

Shyam Benegal, who defined the Indian 'parallel cinema movement' in the 1970s and 1980s with films such as Mandi and Ankur, passed away on Dec. 23, just nine days after his 90th birthday, at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital.

Benegal's last rites will take place at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Shivaji Park Electric Crematorium in Mumbai's Dadar neighbourhood. Shabana Azmi, a close friend and Benegal's frequent collaborator, shared the funeral details on her Instagram Stories.

While, tributes continued to pour in for the filmmaker, with Amitabh Bachchan, Nafisa Ali, Karisma Kapoor and Ajay Devgn remembering the 'stalwart' and 'legend' for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Bachchan paid homage to the director in an X post. "We have lost another stalwart of the Film Industry today .. Shyam Benegal passes away .. Prayers and condolences (sic)" he wrote.

Nafisa Ali, who worked with Benegal in 1978's 'Junoon', said the filmmaker made her world 'so special'. Ali shared the poster of her movie Junoon on her Instagram profile.

'... and saw in me something that no one else did, my vulnerability and captured eternity, the essence of me... Condolences (are) not enough, my heart is in turmoil. Why is life so short?' she wrote as she sent love to Benegal's wife Nira and daughter Pia.

"May you change the canvas of the universe and teach humanity that life is a film created by our vision," Ali added in her post.

Top actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday hailed legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal as the most humane storyteller, who brought real India to the screen.

"India has lost the most humane storyteller of our time, and I’ve lost a guru. Through his lens, Shyam Benegal brought real India to the screen, making us love the ordinary while tackling profound social subjects. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all who cherished his art," Haasan said in a post on 'X'.

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar shared a photo of Benegal with her stepmother Azmi and Smita Patil, the actors of his acclaimed film 'Nishant', at its Cannes Film Festival premiere in 1976.

"The OG Mr Benegal. Cannes 1976 with his film Nishant. With him were the two leading ladies he had introduced to the screen, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. RIP Sir. Thank You For The New Wave. Thank You For The Films," Akhtar wrote on Instagram.

Karisma Kapoor shared a still from Benegal's 2001 film 'Zubeidaa' on her Instagram Story in which she played the titular role. 'Rest in Peace Shyam Babu. Legend forever. Ur Zubeidaa.. #ShyamBenegal,' she wrote in the caption.

While her co-actor Manoj Bajpayee said that it took the genius of Shyam Benegal to see beyond his looks, as the actor never imagined himself playing a royal.

The actor played Prince Vijayendra Singh of Fatehpur opposite Karisma Kapoor in the 2001 film 'Zubeidaa' after the filmmaker convinced him.

"These are the photographs of all the kings of India and you tell me whether you are better looking than them or not. He did that to just calm me down about the casting. I was very doubtful about his casting," Bajpayee told PTI in a recent interview.

"Your films were more than just stories - they were lessons in humanity and culture. You've left an indelible mark on all of us. Rest in peace, Sir. Om Shanti #ShyamBenegal," actor Ajay Devgn wrote on X.

"Dear Shyam sir...I consider myself blessed that I had the privilege of working with you... Every day on the sets of Welcome to Sajjanpur felt like attending a mesmerising masterclass. The Shreyas who started the film and the Shreyas who walked off the sets after the shoot were different individuals--all thanks to you," wrote actor Shreyas Talpade in his X post.

Be it short films, documentaries, TV dramas or non-fiction serials, Benegal dabbled in different mediums of cinema with equal flair.

In an X post, documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma remembered his 'first boss' Benegal, whom he assisted on the Doordarshan series 'Bharat Ek Khoj', based on Jawaharlal Nehru's book 'Discovery of India'.

"For 3 rather intense years of work, soaking, absorbing, learning, arguing and fighting on 53 episodes of Discovery Of India/ #BharatEkKhoj. An incredible experience that shaped and enriched me. You will be missed, ShyamBabu!" Sharma wrote.

Actor Randeep Hooda said Benegal will live on through his unforgettable films. "He inspired so many lives including mine through his cinema .. sadly missed working with him a couple of times.. always kind, soft spoken and thoughtful.. he continued doing what he loved right till the end, inspiring us further, all over again .. thank you Benegal saab," Hooda wrote on X.

(With inputs form PTI)