Shyam Benegal has passed away. The filmmaker breathed his last on December 23 in Mumbai. He was 90.

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to pay tribute to Benegal. He shared a picture of the filmmaker and wrote, “He created ‘the new wave’ cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man who changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars of great actors like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Farewell, my friend and guide."

Shyam Benegal’s career spanned over five decades, cementing his position as a pioneering filmmaker in Indian cinema. He made his debut in the film industry with the 1974 movie Ankur. His subsequent films, such as “Nishant" (1975), “Manthan" (1976), and “Bhumika" (1977), solidified his reputation as a masterful director, earning him numerous national and international accolades.

Later, Benegal also made several critically acclaimed films like “Mandi" (1983), “Trikaal" (1985), and “Sardari Begum" (1996).  His last release was Mujib: The Making of a Nation, which hit theatres in 2023.

The filmmaker also celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this month when he revealed that he was working on 2-3 projects. “We all grow old. I don’t do anything great (on my birthday). It may be a special day, but I don’t celebrate it specifically. I cut a cake at the office with my team," he told PTI and then added, “I’m working on two to three projects; they are all different from one another. It’s difficult to say which one I will make. They are all for the big screen."