Shyam Benegal Turns 82: The Filmmaker on Four of His Finest Films

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal remembers some of his best films.

Shyam Benegal made India’s first crowd-funded film Manthan

Shyam Benegal, one of India’s most influential filmmakers, turns 82 on December 14.

The director reveals that he never makes birthday plans, but yes, his wife takes him out for a meal every year so that’s what they’ll do. Osianama held a week long retrospective of Benegal’s films from December 14-16, 2015 at Mumbai’s Liberty cinema.

We got the director talking about four of his finest films. Watch the clips below:

Manthan Was Made With the Contribution of Dairy Farmers

Shyam Benegal talks about collaborating with Verghese Kurien for the production of Manthan. Watch the video to find out how India’s first cooperative feature film was made.

Mandi Was Tricky Because of its Ensemble Cast

The veteran filmmaker talks about how he handled an ensemble cast and remembers the challenges that the crew faced while filming Mandi.

How Ankur Found Shabana Azmi

Ankur gave India one of its finest actors, but how did Shyam Benegal find Shabana Azmi? Watch the video to find out.

Karisma Was Beautifully Brittle and Strong for Zubeidaa

Benegal talks about working with a mainstream actress like Karisma Kapoor in Zubeidaa, calls her “beautifully brittle and strong”.

(This article is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 14 December 2015. It is being republished to mark Shyam Benegal’s birth anniversary.)