Boman Irani speaks on working with Shyam Benegal
In an interview with Subhash K Jha, Boman Irani speaks on working with Shyam Benegal and completing 15 years of Well Done Abba
With support from the NFDC, the festival is hosting a special retrospective that allows audiences to experience Benegal’s influential storytelling on the big screen.
Statesman Web | February 21, 2025 11:34 am
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The National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) is celebrating the legacy of legendary Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal by showcasing some of his most remarkable works.
With support from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the festival in Australia is hosting a special retrospective that allows audiences to experience influential storytelling of Shyam Benegal on the big screen.
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The retrospective features a selection of his acclaimed films, including ‘Mammo’, starring Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri, Amit Phalke, and Rajit Kapoor; ‘Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda’, featuring Pallavi Joshi, Rajit Kapoor, and Raghubir Yadav; ‘The Making of the Mahatma’, with Rajit Kapoor in the lead; and ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’, his final directorial project based on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader.
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Festival Director Anupam Sharma emphasized the broader mission of NIFFA, stating, “This festival is not just about Bollywood. It’s a tribute to the depth and diversity of Indian cinema. Through this retrospective, we hope to give audiences a chance to experience Benegal’s cinematic brilliance, which has inspired generations of filmmakers worldwide.”
Starting as a copywriter at Lintas in 1959, he rose to creative head while directing over 900 ads and documentaries.
His first feature, Ankur (1973), took a decade to emerge but ignited the New Indian Cinema movement. #ShyamBenegal #NationalFilmAwards #DadasahebPhalkeAward pic.twitter.com/5mRJCUODIB
— NFDC India (@nfdcindia) February 21, 2025
NIFFA 2025 is a grand celebration of Indian storytelling, featuring over 35 world and Australian premieres spanning multiple languages and genres.
The festival is taking place in major Australian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, giving cinephiles across the country a chance to participate.
The festival has partnered with esteemed institutions such as Dendy Cinemas, the Indian High Commission, Marriott Bonvoy, and SBS.
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In an interview with Subhash K Jha, Boman Irani speaks on working with Shyam Benegal and completing 15 years of Well Done Abba
Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar attended the funeral of the late cinema legend Shyam Benegal in the Dadar area of Mumbai on Tuesday.
Karisma Kapoor recalls her enriching experience working with legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal, celebrating his extraordinary attention to detail and lasting impact on Indian cinema.
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