Cartoonist & Filmmaker Gautam Benegal Passes Away Aged 56

Gautam Benegal passed away due to a cardiac arrest.

Cartoonist and filmmaker Gautam Benegal has passed away.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

National Award-winning writer, cartoonist, animation filmmakers Gautam Benegal has passed away due to a cardiac arrest. He was 56. News of Benegal's demise was shared on social media by his friend Kaizaad Kotwal. He wrote on Facebook, "“I am in deep shock. Gautam Benegal is no more. Just yesterday we were exchanging messages. What a huge loss to all of India, especially her artistic, intellectual and progressive denizens. I still cannot process this. RIP Gautam.”

Soon after Kotwal shared the news people took to social media to mourn Benegal's demise.

At the age of 16, Gautam Benegal was invited by legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray to illustrate and write for the children's magazine 'Sandesh'. Benegal's animation movies, particularly the Kelvinator Penguin and Handyplast Boy are popular. He has created films for the Films Division of India and his movies have also been nominated for film festivals in Teheran, Belarus, Hiroshima, and Cairo among other places. He had received the National award (Rajatkamal) Best animation Film for 2010: The Prince and the Crown of Stone.