Awardees

Citation

One of the pioneers of the new cinema in India, Shyam Benegal has been acknowledged as a master in his craft internationally. His films have been acclaimed widely in India and at International film festivals for the last three decades. The core subject of his films have been varied in nature but they are mainly centered around contemporary India experience. Apart from fiction features, he has made a number of documentaries on wide range of subjects. His work on television consists of several popular series based on international stories, short stories by well-known Indian writers and a mammoth 53 part series on the history of India based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book Discovery of India.

He has made 26 fiction features for the Cinema, several documentaries and TV series. Practically all his films have won national awards and several of them have been awarded internationally.

Shyam Benegal taught mass-communication techniques between 1966 and 1973 and later took an active role in shaping film education as Chairman of the Film Television Institute of India during 1980-83 and 1989-92.

In acknowledgement of his valuable contribution to art and society, he was nominated to the National Integration Council (1986-89) and the National Council of Art. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976, the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award in 2004.

In 2005 he was given the highest honour by the film industry – the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2007 the Jamia Millia University conferred a D.Litt (Honoris Causa) on him. Shyam Benegal was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2006.

The trustees of the Yudhvir Foundation feel very happy in honouring this living legend and a proud son of Hyderabad for his outstanding achievements. He is still active and the trustees wish him a long life and greater glories still.