Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who created masterpieces like “Nishant”, “Manthan”, “Zubeida” and “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose”, will be honoured with the Indian film industry’s highest honour - the Dadasaheb Phalke Award - for his outstanding contribution in the field of cinema. President Pratibha Patil will confer the award on Benegal at a ceremony later this year. It comprises a cash prize of Rs 2 Lakhs, a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) trophy and a shawl.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is an annual award given by the Indian government for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered the father of Indian cinema.
There were no awards given in 2006 although the results had been finalized. The Bombay High Court had directed the Directorate of Film Festivals of India (DFFI) to consider uncensored films for the competition, a case which DFFI contested and won in the Supreme Court in late 2006. Therefore, the awards were announced in May 2007.
A nephew of Guru Dutt, Benegal, started his career with Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag starrer ‘Ankur’. His movies revolve around the themes and the problems of development and socio-cultural change. Apart from feature films, Benegal, the founder of the Hyderabad Film Society and a former ad filmmaker, has made a number of documentaries on various subjects ranging from cultural anthropology and the problems of industrialization to music. Some of them are - “Child of The Streets”, “Satyajit Ray” and “Nature Symphony”.
His work for television consists of several popular series including a 53-episode serial based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book “Discovery of India”. He has also made an extra-mural educational series for rural children sponsored by the United Nations International Children’s Fund.
Presently a member of the Rajya Sabha, he taught mass-communication techniques and took an active role in shaping film education as Chairman of the Film Television Institute of India in 1980-83 and 1989-92. He was also part of the National Integration Council (1986-89) and the National Council of Art. Benegal, earlier had been awarded with two of the most prestigious awards - the Padma Shri (1976) and the Padma Bhushan (1991) by the Government of India.
Via: Timesofindia, Sify
Comments
Another film maker par excellence and a man with social contributions beyond the scope of just appreciation. Discovery Of india is the best way i think the epic story of this extraordinary nation could be told on screen. He truly deserves the award.