'MAMI' MEMORY WITH BENEGAL!!

In this photo I am interacting with our renowned filmmaker..

Shyam Benegal in 'MAMI's 'Mumbai Film Festival' long back!

Like 'IFFI' main film festival of our India..I have been attending other film festivals in state also. In this I attended 'MAMI's Mumbai Film Festivals and 'Third Eye Asian Film Festival' from the beginning!

Shabana Azmi & Anant Nag in Shyam Benegal's 'Ankur' (1973).

Here I remember informal interaction with our renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal in 'MAMI's 'Mumbai Film Festival' long back! I discussed with him about the status of Parallel Cinema since his 'Ankur' (1973) which was a pioneering film in this movement!

Pallavi Joshi & Rajeshwari Sachdev in Benegal's 

'Suraj Ka Satavan Ghoda' (1992)

Benegal completed his early social films trilogy with 'Nishant' (1975) & 'Manthan' (1976). Then he created new genre 'Middle Cinema' in our India. In this his notable films were Shashi Kapoor's 'Kalyug' (1981), Shabana Azmi & Smita Patil acted 'Mandi' (1983), 'Suraj Ka Satavan Ghoda' (1992) on Dharmavir Bharati's novel & 'Sardari Begum' (1996) wrote by Khalid Mohamed!

Smriti Mishra, Surekha Sikri & S.M. Zaheer in Benegal's 'Sardari Begum' (1996)

Almost all of his films won national awards and international recognition too! 
In 1991 he got 'Padma Bhushan'. And in 2007 he was honoured with 'Dadasaheb Phalke Award'. 
On that time I wrote special article on him in my 'Chitrasrushti's special issue!

'MAMI's 'Mumbai Film Festival' completed 20 years. And it's Shyam Benegal's 84th birthday!!

Best wishes to both!!

- Manoj Kulkarni