Shyam Benegal’s demise on December 23 felt personal even to people who had never met him. That is probably because generations of Indians trying to make sense of the country’s past and present often turned to the legendary director’s films, documentaries and television shows.

The movies drew attention to inequalities, injustices and eccentricities, often soberly and sometimes humorously. They had intellectual curiosity, a commitment to justice, and a layered understanding of human character. They examined events in a manner that was plausible rather than escapist, relatable rather than alienating.

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Benegal directed 24 features, scores of documentaries and short films, and a few serials for television, including the monumental Bharat Ek Khoj (1998), based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India. Here are the 11 essential Benegal films that best capture his style, concerns and philosophy.

Ankur (1974)

A low-caste woman married to a deaf-mute potter catches the eye of the village landlord’s dissolute son. They embark on a relationship, from which the woman gets pregnant. Her husband assumes that the child is his. From these simple elements, Benegal crafts a nuanced, non-judgemental exploration of the power dynamic between the rulers and the ruled.

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Where to watch: YouTube.

Nishant (1975)

In this fierce tale of feudal depravity, two brothers kidnap a school teacher’s wife as a plaything for their youngest sibling Vishwam. The teacher’s protests snowball into a rebellion that claims the guilty as well as the innocent. Naseeruddin Shah entered the Benegalverse with Nishant, in the role of Vishwam.

Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube.

Naseeruddin Shah in Nishant (1975).

Manthan (1976)

Although clubbed with Ankur and Nishant as part of a trilogy, Manthan indicates Benegal’s skill in expanding his thematic preoccupations. Manthan dramatises the formation of the Amul milk co-operative in Gujarat in the 1940s.

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Girish Karnad plays Mohan, a veterinary doctor modelled on Verghese Kurien. Mohan’s attempts to organise villagers in Gujarat’s Kheda region run into hurdles caused by ignorance, suspicion and caste differences. Rather than simplistic solutions, Manthan depicts the challenges involved in creating consensus in a divided society.

Where to watch: YouTube.

Bhumika (1977)

Benegal’s masterpiece, based on the movie star Hansa Wadkar, stars Smita Patil is one of her most well-regarded roles. This complex exploration of a woman’s quest to understand her true self has barely aged.

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Patil plays the screen icon Usha, who struggles to escape her controlling mother and her abusive husband. Usha takes a series of lovers, each of whom tells her something about herself. The grown-up film is beautifully shot by Govind Nihalani in different colour schemes and lighting patterns.

Where to watch: YouTube.

Junoon (1979)

The 1857 Mutiny is the backdrop for a tale of passion, loyalty and rebellion. Shashi Kapoor produces as well as stars as the Pathan lord Javed, whose obsession with the Anglo-Indian woman Ruth (Nafisa Ali) rages even as anti-colonial rebels try to defeat the British.

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Govind Nihalani’s marvellous camerawork and the performances by Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor, as Ruth’s mother, are among the film’s highlights.

Kalyug (1981)

By relocating the Mahabharata to a contemporary setting, Benegal underscores the epic’s timeless nature and its profound understanding of human ambition. In Kalyug, two business clans in Mumbai embark on a feud that singes everyone concerned.

Benegal had already become a master of handling a sprawling cast of actors. Kalyug, which was once again produced by Shashi Kapoor, sees Kapoor as a stand-in for the Mahabharata’s tragic hero Karna. The cast includes Rekha in one of her finest roles as a character modelled on Draupadi and Victor Banerjee as a sympathetic version of Duryodhana.

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Mandi (1983)

Shabana Azmi is a tour de force in this rambunctious comedy about a brothel madam trying to keep herself and her employees solvent. Azmi’s Rukminibai stares down a series of challenges with aggression, spite and seduction.

The film has an excellent ensemble of some of the finest available actors, a wicked sense of humour, and a sly take on the hypocrisy towards sex work. Among the films Mandi influenced was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022).

Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube.

Shabana Azmi in Mandi (1983).

Satyajit Ray (1984)

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Benegal’s feature-length documentary on one of his strongest filmmaking influences is respectful but curious too. Benegal interviews Satyajit Ray on the sets of Ghare Baire, eliciting comprehensive responses on Ray’s formative years, his approach to his craft and his views on filmmaking practices. The 120-minute documentary is essential viewing for a better understanding of the subject as well as the interlocutor.

Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1993)

This adaptation of the Dharamvir Bharti novel of the same name signalled a shifting of gears. Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda also marked the first collaboration between Benegal and Rajit Kapur.

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Kapur plays the raconteur Manik Mulla, who narrates his relationships with three women. Each of these stories, whose veracity is dubious, reveals aspects about the nature of love. Benegal’s experiment with unreliable narrators wasn’t a one-off – he returned to this device in Welcome to Sajjanpur.

Mammo (1994)

Khalid Mohammed’s trilogy of scripts for Benegal explores various facets of post-independent Muslim identity. Mammo stars Farida Jalal as the feisty Mahmooda Begum, who has emigrated to Pakistan after Partition but hasn’t forgotten her sister Fayyazi (Surekha Sikri) and Fayyazi’s grandson Riyaz (Amit Phalke) in Mumbai.

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Aptly called a “bakbak” (chatterbox) by Riyaz, Mahmooda nevertheless worms her way into the boy’s heart – and charms everybody else too. Jalal delivers a career-best performance as the bustling busybody who won’t let a human-made border divide her affections.

The other two films in the trilogy are Sardari Begum, featuring a brilliant score by Vanraj Bhatia, and Zubeidaa, starring Karisma Kapoor as an actor torn between family and romance.

Amit Phalke and Farida Jalal in Mammo (1994).

Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)

Shreyas Talpade anchors a mischievous satire on the “aisi-taisi democracy” that is India. Mahadev writes letters on behalf of the residents of his village. He is well-placed to observe the foibles of the villagers, from scheming politicians to lovelorn compounders.

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Among the cast is Ravi Jhankal, who is superb as a hijra trying to participate in the mother of all democracies.

Where to watch: Prime Video.

Also read:

Shyam Benegal (1934-2024): The conscience keeper of Indian cinema