Mumbai: The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Shorts & Animation Films – MIFF 2018 will be conferred upon veteran film maker Shyam Benegal. The award carrying a Trophy, a shawl, citation and cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakhs) will be presented by the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C Vidyasagar Rao at the MIFF 2018 Valedictory Function at NCPA on Saturday.
An independent committee comprising Rahul Rawail, Kiran Shantaram, Prasoon Joshi, Bharathi Pradhan and Vinod Anupam unanimously recommended the name of Shri Shyam Benegal, taking note of his significant contribution to the growth and sustenance of documentary movements in India.
One of the leading and widely respected filmmakers of India, Shri Shyam Benegal is known for making thought provoking films centre around contemporary Indian experience. He is credited with pioneering new cinema in the country.
While Shyam Benegal has made 28 feature films including landmark films like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi and Junoon, his filmography also includes 41 documentaries covering a wide variety of subjects including cultural anthropology, sustainable growth, biopic, art and culture. His 1982 documentary ‘Satyajit Ray’ won the National Award for Best Biographical Film, while his 1985 film ‘Nehru’ won the award fro Best Historical Reconstruction.
His work on television consists of several popular series including the 53 part series Bharat Ek Khoj, first broadcast on Doordarshan in 1988. He also made the much acclaimed ‘Samvidhaan – The Making of the Constitution of India”.
Born in 1934 in Hyderabad, Shyam Benegal completed his M.A. in Economics from the Osmania University and began working in an advertising agency, before venturing into film making. He made his first documentary film ‘Gher Behti Ganga’ (Ganga at Doorstep) in Gujarati in 1963. Shri Benegal credits his photographer father and cousin Guru Dutt as early influencers for him taking up film making as a career.
Shri Benegal also taught mass communication between 1966 and 1973 and later took an active role in shaping film education as Chairman of the Film & Television Institute of India during the 1980s and early 90s. Recipient of many awards including 9 National Awards for his feature films, Shri Benegal has been honoured by the Government of India with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan as well as the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
About V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award
The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to the documentary movement is conferred on a veteran filmmaker at every MIFF organized by Films Division. The award is instituted in memory of legendary filmmaker V Shantaram, who was closely associated with the Films Division as Honorary Chief Producer during the 1950s.
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