Shyam Benegal was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts. He died on 23 December 2024, aged 90, at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, where he was receiving treatment for chronic kidney disease.
Pankaj Kapur is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. Recipient of a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards, his most acclaimed film roles include that of Inspector P.K. in Raakh (1989), Dr. Dipankar Roy in Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991) and Abba ji in Maqbool (2004), the latter based on Shakespeare's King Duncan in Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Macbeth.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero is a 2004 Indian epic biographical war film, written and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film starred an ensemble cast of Sachin Khedekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Arif Zakaria, and Divya Dutta, among others. The film depicts the life of the Indian Independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany: 1941–1943, and in Japanese-occupied Asia 1943–1945, and the events leading to the formation of Azad Hind Fauj.
Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional Indian Bengali detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Known for referring to himself as a Satyanweshi ("truth-seeker"), Bakshi is characterized by his sharp observation, logical reasoning, and proficiency in forensic science, which he applies to solve complex murder cases, primarily set in Calcutta.
Shama Zaidi is an Indian screenplay writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary film maker. She is married to director M. S. Sathyu. Shama Zaidi Was Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at ICA - International Cultural Artifact Film Festival in 2021.
Deepti Naval is an Indian-American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema.
The Making of the Mahatma is a 1996 biographical film directed by Shyam Benegal, about the early life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during his 21 years in South Africa. The film is based upon the book The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima Meer. It was an international co-production between India and South Africa.
Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda is a 1992 Indian Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal and based on the novel The Sun's Seventh Horse by Dharmavir Bharati. It won the 1993 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. The self-reflexive film is also known for its subversive take on the "Devdas" syndrome. The film was produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). It stars Rajit Kapur, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Pallavi Joshi, Neena Gupta and Amrish Puri, among others.
Mammo is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language film by Shyam Benegal. It stars Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri, Amit Phalke and Rajit Kapur.
Hari-Bhari (Fertility) is a 2000 Hindi film by Shyam Benegal, starring Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Surekha Sikri and Nandita Das.
Rajendra Gupta is an Indian film, television and theatre actor and director who is known for his television roles of Adina Beg Khan Sahib e Azam in 2010 series of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Pandit Jagannath in the 1990s Doordarshan fantasy television series Chandrakanta and Sudha's father – Jagat Narayan – in the 1998–2001 Sony TV drama Saaya.
The 27th Filmfare Awards were held in 1980.
The Sun's Seventh Horse is a 1952 Hindi meta fiction novel by Dharamvir Bharati, one of the pioneers of modern Hindi literature. The novel presents three related narratives about three women: Jamuna, Sati, and Lily. It is narrated by Manik Mulla, who is also a character in the novel, to his friends over seven afternoons, in the style of Hitopadesha or Panchatantra. The novel looks at the disappointments in love faced by these women and how they cope with their lives. The self-reflexive story is also known for its subversive take on the "Devdas" syndrome. The Sun's Seventh Horse was published after Bharati's debut novel Gunahon Ka Devta (1949), which subsequently became a classic.
Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish is a 2009 Indian film written and directed by Deepti Naval, starring Manisha Koirala, Rajit Kapur and Sanaj Naval.
Agnisakshi is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language spiritual film written and directed by Shyamaprasad, based on the novel of the same name by Lalithambika Antharjanam. It stars Rajit Kapur, Shobana, Srividya, Praveena, Madhupal and Madambu Kunhukuttan. The film premiered at the Soorya Festival on 14 September 1998. Agnisakshi received numerous accolades, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and nine Kerala State Film Awards. The film holds the distinction of being one of two films to get 9 Kerala State Film Awards.
Usha Jadhav is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Marathi and Hindi language films. She is best known for her role in the 2012 Marathi film Dhag for which she won National Film Award for Best Actress at the 60th National Film Awards. In 2019, she received the IFFI Best Actor Award (Female) at the 50th International Film Festival of India for her work in Mai Ghat : Crime No 103/2015.
Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India is a ten-part television mini-series based on the making of the Constitution of India, directed by Shyam Benegal. The show premiered on 2 March 2014 on Rajya Sabha TV, with an episode scheduled to air every Sunday morning. The series can be viewed on YouTube on Rajya Sabha TV's channel.
Byomkesh Bakshi is an Indian-Bengali detective character created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Referring himself as "truth-seeker" or Satyanweshi in the stories, Bakshi is known for his proficiency with observation, logical reasoning, and forensic science which he uses to solve complicated cases, usually murders occurred. Bakshi, initially appearing in the 1932 story Satyanweshi, the character's popularity immensely increased in Bengal and other parts of India.
Byomkesh was a 2014 Indian Bengali crime fiction television series based on the Bengali sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The series starred Gaurav Chakrabarty, Saugata Bandyopadhyay and Ridhima Ghosh as Byomkesh Bakshi, Ajit and Satyabati respectively. The series premiered on 20 November 2014 on Colors Bangla channel and ended on 14 November 2015. This series is re-runned on 4 March 2024. The first episode was narrated by Sabyasachi Chakrabarty.
Neeraj Kabi is an Indian film entertainer and theatre actor, theatre director, and acting coach known for his works in International films and Hindi cinema, theatre, and television.
