Celebrating the gem of Alwal

Organised by Guruswamy Centre and moderated by Sanghamitra Malik, the event ‘Remembering the Boy from Alwal’ was a truly moving experience.
Shankar Melkote & Narsing Rao
Shankar Melkote & Narsing Rao
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3 min read

HYDERABAD: As his friends, Hyderabadis, and countrypeople poured into the hall, a wave of deep sorrow pervaded them all. For they had gathered to lend their ears to tales about a boy from Alwal. Who was this young lad — was he a director? A screenwriter? A documentary filmmaker? Oh yes, but above all, the late Shyam Benegal was the pioneer of Indian parallel cinema.

To the world around him, he was always known as this ‘legendary filmmaker’. He certainly was, but the ones in the room who knew him closely — comedian and actor Shankar Melkote, director Narsing Rao, theatre thespian Mohammad Ali Baig, and producer and Lamakaan co-founder Elahe Hiptoola — took the dais at Guruswamy Centre to remember the legend in different ways. Organised by Guruswamy Centre and moderated by Sanghamitra Malik, the event ‘Remembering the Boy from Alwal’ was a truly moving experience.

Elahe told everyone that the late filmmaker was a staunch egalitarian. “He always treated everyone equally. He was never patronising or one to give gyaan. Although he’d known me since I was a little girl, the equation was one of ‘I’m a filmmaker, you’re a filmmaker’,” she shared, as loud claps reverberated across the room.

Mohammad recalled that when he was a child, the filmmaker ruffled his hair and said, ‘Oh, yeh mere actor (Qadir Ali Baig) ka bachcha hai.’ He expressed to CE, “We celebrate his film Ankur, in which my father played the zamindar. In an era of commercial blockbusters like Sholay, Shyam Benegal came up with parallel films like Ankur and Manthan.

In those days, people called parallel films low-budget films and morning show films, but Shyam ji didn’t care a hoot — it must have required a lot of courage. Through his films, he gave India some of its best actors. I admired his consistency in work and his Hyderabadi etiquette.”

Shankar and Narsing, seated next to each other, underscored Shyam’s early years in Alwal, his father’s photo studio in Lal Bazaar, and his strong association with Hyderabad. After a point, watching them discuss him was like seeing too young boys reminisce about a friend who had moved away and would one day return.

Elahe Hiptoola & Mohammad Ali Baig
Elahe Hiptoola & Mohammad Ali Baig

Speaking to CE, Narsing said, “He will be terribly missed. It is rare to find people like him. He was open-minded and not someone to ever show off. He prioritises his Hyderabadis; if he ever met someone from the city when he was in another land, he would make it a point to take out some time for them.”

The director revealed, “He used to find fault with my films and I would do the same with his films. But it was alright because that was the creative dynamic we shared,” he said.

Shankar was all praise for the legend and told CE, “What knowledge, what intelligence and what a workaholic he was, I tell you! Shyam babu was unwell for quite a while but told me many times, ‘I am fine’.” The comedian’s voice grew sombre as he recalled, “Every year on his birthday, December 14, I would wish him and he would always promptly reply. But this year, he didn’t reply. I suspected there was a setback in his health. And 11 days later, he passed away. Shyam babu, thank you for touching so many lives. You will be missed.”

What the veteran comedian said was so true; Shyam Benegal touched the lives of so many people, knowingly and unknowingly. It was no wonder then that the event saw several attendees stand up and share their admiration for him. Indeed, Indian cinema and the world have lost a rare gem.

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