Legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away on Monday due to chronic kidney disease at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital. The last rites of Benegal took place at Shivaji Park Electric Crematorium in Mumbai on December 24.

He was cremated with full state honours and a three-gun salute.

Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapoor, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Ila Arun, who starred in many of Benegal's films, were present to bid adieu to the director.

Also present were actor Ratna Pathak Shah, her son Vivaan Shah, writer-poet Gulzar, director Hansal Mehta, lyricisit-writer Javed Akhtar, actors Divya Dutta, Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor and Anang Desai.

Benegal was known for films "Ankur", "Mandi", "Nishant" and "Zubeidaa", along with TV shows "Bharat Ek Khoj" and "Samvidhaan". He celebrated his 90th birthday just nine days ago on December 14.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as filmmakers Shekhar Kapur, Hansal Mehta, and cine stars Manoj Bajpayee, Shabhana Azmi and Akshay Kumar paid rich tributes to Shyam Benegal, remembering the director as someone who ushered in a "new kind of cinema" and whose films continue to be admired by people from different walks of life.

President Murmu said the passing of Benegal marks the end of a glorious chapter of Indian cinema and television.

"He started a new kind of cinema and crafted several classics. A veritable institution, he groomed many actors and artists. His extraordinary contribution was recognised in the form of numerous awards including Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan. My condolences to the members of his family and his countless admirers," she wrote in a post on X.

PM Modi said he is "deeply saddened" by the death of Benegal, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema.

"His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," he said.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called Benegal ji "a visionary filmmaker" who brought India's stories to life with depth and sensitivity.

"His legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and admirers worldwide," Gandhi wrote on X.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday condoled the demise of veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, saying that it is an "irreparable loss" to the film industry.

In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, "The demise of renowned film producer-director 'Padma Bhushan' Shri Shyam Benegal ji is extremely sad and an irreparable loss to the cinema world."

Gulzar said what Benegal brought to cinema was a revolution that will never come again.

"He hasn't departed, we have departed from him and seen him off. He brought a revolution, he has gone with that revolution of change in cinema. Nobody else will be able to bring that wave, revolution once again. We will remember him for a long time and we will talk about him for a long to come," Gulzar told PTI.

"Mammo" star Farida Jalal who remembers filmmaker Shyam Benegal as a soft-spoken man with a reassuring smile.

Jala said, "If he understood your capacity to put in your 100 per cent into the character that he has given you, he would just let you play. There were no instructions as such."

"That little smile on his face would tell you that he's happy with what you're doing... That smile was something. It was a reassurance that 'You're right, you can go on and I'm loving it'. That was just there and he would never hide that," Jalal told PTI.

Shyam Benegal, the pioneer of parallel cinema, played a pivotal role in Shabana Azmi's career as the actor says he was a guru who influenced not only her approach towards acting but also her understanding of life.

Shabana Azmi told PTI in a recent interview, “Shyam Benegal has been my guru in everything, not just in acting but in the way I view the world. When I went abroad for Ankur with him to the Berlin Film Festival and, as a young kid with stars in my eyes, I wanted to run to the first shopping place.

"But he asked all kinds of questions to the taxi driver; he wanted to know about the garden and the history,” she added.

It was Benegal who gave Azmi her first acting role in his directorial debut "Ankur", which explored themes of caste, class, and sexual politics, with a focus on the struggles of rural women.

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur bid farewell to his "friend and guide" in a post on X.

"He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars out of great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil," the filmmaker wrote on the microblogging platform.

Addressing Benegal as Shyam Babu, as he was known to friends and collaborators, Hansal Mehta thanked the filmmaker for being an inspiration.

"Thank you for the cinema. Thank you for giving tough stories and flawed characters such amazing dignity. Truly among the last of our greats," Mehta wrote.

Bajpayee, who worked with the director in 2001's "Zubeidaa", said Benegal's death is a "heartbreaking loss" for Indian cinema.

"Shyam Benegal wasn’t just a legend, he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations. Working with him in Zubeidaa was a transformative experience for me, exposing me to his unique style of storytelling & nuanced understanding of performances. I’ll forever be grateful for the lessons I learned under his direction," the actor wrote on X.

Akshay Kumar said he is "pained" after learning about Benegal's death.

"One of the finest filmmakers in our country, truly a legend."

In her Instagram Story, Kajol said Benegal's contributions to Indian cinema are "immeasurable and his legacy will live on through his incredible body of work".

"Thank you for your Cinema... for stories that shaped incredible talent and for pushing boundaries and creating pride in Indian Cinema," said producer Karan Johar on Instagram Story.

Ila Arun, who worked with Benegal in six films including "Mandi", "Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda", and "Welcome to Sajjanpur", said she was "shocked and shattered" after learning about her mentor's passing.

"I feel as if I lost my father. I couldn't visit him on his birthday earlier this month for being in Bengaluru attending the lit-fest there, but I had wished him on phone. His voice is still echoing in my ears. It is the end of a golden cinematic era," Arun captioned her old picture with the filmmaker on Instagram.

Actor Boman Irani on his Instagram Stories wrote a single conversation with the filmmaker meant "you were wiser, brighter, and blessed by the end of it". He worked with Benegal in 2010's political satire "Well Done Abba".

In Benegal's death, the film industry has lost "another doyen who has won national recognition with Padma Shri and later Padma Bhushan and brought Indian cinema to global fame", said actor-MP Hema Malini.

In an X post, writer Varun Grover likened Benegal to the "rock" that appears from space and makes the primitive man human at the beginning of "2001: A Space Odyssey", a 1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Grover said the late filmmaker was the "most far-sighted hero of the new Indian cinema", who had the Nehru-Gandhi values at heart but carried the anger of Ambedkar-Bhagat Singh in his body.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said Benegal was the best at expressing "poetry of the ordinary face and ordinary lives".

"Much will be written about Shyam Benegal but for me not many talk about the fact that there was a lament in his films and a sadness about the fact we were not living in the best of all possible Worlds (sic)" he said in another post on X.

Telugu superstar and politician Chiranjeevi also paid tributes to Benegal, a fellow Hyderabadi.

"Deeply saddened at the departure of Shri Shyam Benegal, one of the finest film makers and great intellectuals of our country. He discovered & nurtured some of the brightest film talents of India.

"His films, biographies and documentaries form part of India’s greatest cultural treasure!!" he wrote.

"Farewell to the legendary #ShyamBenegal, the master storyteller who redefined Indian cinema with his realism and depth. His films will continue to inspire generations. Rest in peace maestro," said Bengali star Prosenjit Chatterjee on X.

One did not realise the enormity of this feat. Harmanpreet is basically a defensive midfielder in footballing parlance and to score 200 goalsextreme gaming 88, is truly a great achievement.

• extreme gaming 88
• in
• Shyam
• Benegal
• Laid