Latest news with #Benegal
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mandi cast reunite at a pride film festival to honour Shyam Benegal's legacy
In a moment of cinematic nostalgia and quiet celebration, the 16th Kashish Pride Film Festival brought the cast and crew of Mandi (1983) back together after 42 years. The reunion took place on the evening of June 6, as part of a tribute to filmmaker Shyam Benegal , a long-time patron of the festival and a pioneer of socially engaged Indian cinema . Held in Mumbai, the screening was part of a retrospective honouring Benegal's fearless storytelling — known for its sharp take on power, patriarchy, and sexuality. The event struck a chord with audiences and cast members alike, many of whom described the experience as deeply emotional. Actor and singer Ila Arun, who debuted with the film, said watching it again was like 'reliving the entire experience.' Soni Razdan echoed the sentiment, noting how Mandi was 'truly ahead of its time' and a project shaped by collaboration, experimentation, and a willingness to push boundaries. The film's ensemble cast had camped together in Hyderabad during its shoot — an unconventional production model that Razdan said helped create the 'kaleidoscopic mad caper' that audiences still remember today. Joy Bimal Roy, who began his career as Benegal's assistant on Mandi , recalled the director's egalitarian approach on set: 'He treated senior actors and juniors alike with respect. Watching the film again after 43 years was a flood of memories.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The tribute held special meaning for Pia Benegal, costume designer and daughter of the late director. She highlighted her father's commitment to 'exploring stories from the margins' and his belief in inclusive storytelling — values that align closely with KASHISH's ethos. Festival Director Sridhar Rangayan described the Mandi reunion as 'a dream come true,' noting that Benegal's work continues to inspire contemporary filmmakers with its blend of compassion, courage, and creative risk. As the festival celebrates a new wave of queer narratives, the Mandi screening stood as both a nod to the past and a reminder of the timeless relevance of films that dared to challenge the status quo.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Shabana Azmi asked Ray for a second film, he said ‘but you don't look Bengali'
Sen said she had been 'scared' to take up Benegal's offer to play a Hyderabadi servant girl who could speak a smattering of Telugu but added in mock seriousness that Benegal could have persuaded her. Azmi, unsurprisingly for an actor who passed out with a gold medal from the FTII, pulled off the role with no sign of first-film jitters. She didn't speak Telugu, but she could and did speak Dakhini, a dialect of Urdu that borrows from Marathi. Azmi's Laxmi is a woman of touching vulnerability and pragmatism. She hums as she grinds spices and takes charge of the kitchen and sweeps the floors of Chhote Sarkar (played by Anant Nag); she is the housekeeper who sits at some distance from him, when in the solitude of village life he needs conversation; she also shares his bed when her husband briefly disappears without warning, but all with destitute eyes. They reflect back that she knows she will be discarded when he gets a high-caste wife. Working with the auteurs Azmi's 25-plus years of collaboration with Benegal, one of the most fruitful partnerships of Indian cinema between a director and actor—they worked on seven films, from Ankur (1974) to Hari Bhari (2000)—naturally occupied a major part of the conversation. Working with Benegal was about self-discovery, she said. 'I look at it as an exercise of knowing myself. Benegal loved his actors, it was a relationship of trust. You always knew he would stop you if you made an ass of yourself. When we went to shoot in Yellareddyguda, [a village in then Andhra Pradesh] for Ankur, he made me walk around in a sari. I was a jeans-clad Bombay girl, he realised I could not sit down on my haunches, so my food began to be served on the floor. After a few days, I joined the others at the table.'
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
17th Habitat Film Festival turns the spotlight on doyens of Indian cinema
Shyam Benegal's debut film Ankur was unprecedented in more ways than one. Besides challenging the template of a quintessential Bollywood film as we knew it, it addressed real yet uncomfortable issues of feudalism as well as caste and gender politics, sans dance and music. The 1974 film, starring Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag, is credited with heralding a new wave of cinema in India. Benegal's illustrious life and career will be celebrated with an expansive retrospective at the 17th edition Habitat Film Festival (HFF) between May 16 and 25 at Delhi's India Habitat Centre. The director's contributions as the pioneer of parallel cinema would be commemorated in an exhibition, 'The Cinema of Shyam Benegal', featuring archival material from the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies. Alongside Ankur, the retrospective will also see the screenings of the path-breaking Mandi, the iconic Manthan and the memorable Junoon. Besides Benegal, the festival will pay tribute to several other stalwarts of Indian cinema, including Azmi, who is celebrating 50 years of her career, and director Aparna Sen, both of whom will be in conversation with each other before the screening of Ankur. 'We celebrate 50 years of three iconic stars in Indian cinema, we pay tribute to some legends of Indian Cinema on their 100th birth anniversary year and raise a hurrah for contemporary cinema trailblazers,' said Vidyun Singh, Creative Head Programmes, Habitat World, India Habitat Centre. Other legends of the screen who celebrate 50 years on the silver screen include the Southern showstoppers Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi. A talk by S V Srinivas, Professor at the School of Liberal Studies, Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, will chronicle the characteristics, limitations and possibilities of southern superstardom. A vibrant 'Dastangoi Dastan-e-Raj Kapoor', directed by Mahmood Farooqui and performed by Rajesh Kumar and Rana Pratap Sengar, will celebrate the actor's birth centenary year. There will also be a screening of his iconic film Awaara, an exhibition of posters of the art of Kapoor's cinema, and a screening of a documentary on the actor directed by Siddharth Kak. Birth centenary year celebrations of Muhammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Tapan Sinha will be marked by a discussion of books on their illustrious careers and a screening of a Tapan Sinha film. The lives of Aruna Vasudev, 'Mother of Asian Cinema' and founder NETPAC, and Manoj Kumar, will be celebrated with screenings of NETPAC award-winning films and Kumar's Upkaar, respectively. The festival this year will screen 24 films, across different Indian languages, that highlight varied social issues, including human-environment conflict (Raavsahab, Sangala), and gender and caste discrimination (Swaha, Appuram, Aajoor). That cinema is a mirror to society comes through in Humans in the Loop, which looks at the advent of AI. Meanwhile, films such as Cinema pe Cinema and Behind the Scenes turn the camera inwards, focussing on the world of cinema. The festival, however, promises to be more than just a platform to see films. This year, it expands its role to offer a learning experience through an extended masterclass by Neville Tuli of Tuli Research Centre for India Studies, on cinema as a critical educational resource. 'The workshops will be especially interesting for students, academics and faculty members who are primarily interested in using the world of cinema to integrate across all other subjects with an in-depth and relatively unique interdisciplinary pedagogic approach to learning,' an organiser said. The HFF also brings back its segment dedicated to documentary and short films, with a series of innovative feminist documentaries that explore diverse, lived experiences, expressions and reflections as women, trans and queer persons. Also, on the roster are acclaimed and awarded films from the festival circuit. There's Pyre, Nukkad Natak, Beline, Dhrubor Aschorjo Jibon, Sangala, Mikka Bannada Hakki, Feminist Fathima, Victoria, and the 2024 Cannes Grand Prix awardee, All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia. 'As cinema gains more traction with the onset of revolutionary technologies such as OTT, it's important to promote a culture where films aren't just watched but also understood and appreciated. The festival also aims to initiate the new generation into the art of cinema to facilitate the emergence of young, new storytellers, cinematographers, actors and directors who would further enrich both Indian and world cinema with their creativity, energy and dedication,' said KG Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre.
