Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal awarded for the prestigious 'V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award'

Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, known popularly as V. Shantaram .

At the MIFF 2018 valedictory function it was conferred on Benegal by Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao and the award, carrying a trophy, a citation, shawl and cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

By an independent committee comprising Kiran Shantaram, Rahul Rawail, Prasoon Joshi, Bharati Pradhan and Vinod Anupam the Benegal's name was selected unanimously, By viewing his significant contribution to the growth and sustenance of the documentary movement in India.

Benegal is 73 years old man who is respected and leading filmmaker is known for making thought initiating films centring around contemporary Indian experiences and ruling the New Cinema in the country.

He has give his contribution in making of 28 films including mostly classic named like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi , Bhumika , Manthan and Junoon and so on and 41 documentaries on a wide collection of topics including cultural, anthropology, sustainable growth, biopic, arts and culture during his whole career.

He won the award for Best Historical Reconstruction in his 1985 film, Nehru while documentaries Satyajit Ray (1982) got him the National Award for the Best Biographical Film.

He also contributed to the small screen television with several popular daily soaps serials, In 1988, including the 53 episodes of Bharat Ek Khoj which was first telecast on Doordarshan, and later worked in Samvidhaan which means The Making of The Constitution of India.

Shyam Benegal Born in Hyderabad in 1934, Benegal completed his education in Masters in Economics from Osmania University and in 1959, started working in an advertising agency in Mumbai before coming into film-making.

In 1963, his first documentary was in Gujarati, named Gher Behti Ganga which means Ganga at Doorstep. For the making his career in television industry he credited his father who was professional photographer named Sridhar S. Benegal and his cousin who are the legendary actor Guru Dutt, as the early influencers who guided him into choosing film-making as a career.

In Between 1966 and 1973 year, he was the lecturer of Mass Communications at the Film & Television Institute of India (FITT), Pune, and after that he was appointed two times, first in 1980 to 1983 and again in 1989 to 1992 as FITT Chairman.

Awards and recognition of Benegal, In 1976, Benegal has been earlier awarded by the Padma Shri, In 1991, Padma Bhushan and in 2005 Dadasaheb Phalke Award, besides nine National Awards for various films and documentaries he won in his lifetime career.