Shyam Benegal(1934-2024): 8 films of the iconic filmmaker that you must watch

The debut feature film of Benegal featured Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi in their debut performance. The film talked of caste politics, Dalit oppression and complexities of human behaviour. 

Much before Gangubai Kathiawadi and Begum Jaan, there was Shyam Benegal's Mandi. The film was based on a classic Urdu short story 'Aanandi' by Pakistani writer Ghulam Abbas. It deals with a brothel at the heart of a city, in an area that some politicians want for its prime locality. The film featured a bevvy of actors inlcuding Shabana Azmi who played the Madam of the brothel which is targetted for uprooting, Smita Patil, Soni Razdan, Neena Gupta, Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Amrish Puri and Klubhushan Kharbanda. It was also one of the first few Indian films to explore women's sexuality. 

Based on an original screenplay by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, the film featured Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Girish Karnad and Naseeruddin Shah and talked about the power of the rural elite and the sexual exploitation of women, during the time of feudalism in Telangana. 
 

The film is broadly based on the Marathi-language memoirs, Sangtye Aika of the well-known Marathi stage and screen actress of the 1940s Hansa Wadkar, who led a flamboyant and unconventional life, and focuses on an individual's search for identity and self-fulfilment. Smita Patil played the titular role in the film, and is remembered to this day for her powerful performance. The film also featured Amrish Puri, Anant Nag, Amol Palekar and Naseeruddin Shah. 
 

The film is based on Ruskin Bond's fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons, set around the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and featured Shashi Kapoor as feudal cheiftan who stands to loose everything to the British even as he protects three British women from the unruly Muslim crowd. The film also featured Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Nafisa Ali and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. 
 

Perhaps the most romantic film of Benegal's till date, it had Rajit Kapoor playing a man who courted three very different women in his life- all three belonging to very different strata of society. The film also featured Pallavi Joshi, Neena Gupta and Rajeshvari Sachdev. 
 

Karisma Kapoor turned to art cinema and played a love lorn actress Zubeida who never made it big as an actress and fell in love with a very married prince (Manoj Bajpayee) and went on to become his second wife. Kapoor was lauded for her performance as Zubeida. The film also featured Rekha in a key role. 
 

A film crowdfunded and produced by  500,000 farmers! Shyam Benegal narrated the story of the White Revolution of India, where Verghese Kuriend had heralded a new era in Gujarat's Anand gram and found a milk cooperative which is now known as Amul. Girish Karnad, Naseerduddin Shah and Smita Patil played pivotal roles in this film.