Famous director Shyam Benegal, considered the pioneer of parallel cinema, played an important role in Shabana Azmi’s career. The actress has described him as a guru who influenced her approach to acting and understanding of life. Benegal, known for socially relevant films like Ankur (1974), Mandi (1983), Mammo (1994) and Zubaida (2001), died in Mumbai on Monday evening, nine days after his 90th birthday.

Benegal gave Azmi her first acting role in her directorial debut Ankur, a film that examined themes of caste, class and sexual politics while focusing on the struggles of rural women. The two collaborated on several projects over the years, including Nishant (1975), Junoon (1978), Sussman (1978), and Antarnaad (1992).

Azmi said that Benegal was her mentor not only in acting but also in worldview.

“Shyam Benegal has been my guru in everything, not only in acting but also in the way I look at the world. When I went abroad with him to the Berlin Film Festival for Ankur and, as a small child with stars in my eyes, I wanted to run to the first shopping place.

“But he asked the taxi driver all kinds of questions; He wanted to know about the garden and the history,” Azmi told PTI in a recent interview.

Recalling a trip to the Berlin Film Festival for Ankur, he described how Benegal was more interested in learning about the history and culture of the city than shopping. He described him as a “progressive” and “well-informed” filmmaker who exposed him to new perspectives.

“He opened me up in different ways. When we used to go to the (Berlin) festival he would say, ‘Let’s watch this film because of this.’ So he was like a guru to me,” he said.

Azmi, who celebrated Benegal’s 90th birthday on December 14, shared a picture on social media with Benegal and his frequent collaborator Naseeruddin Shah. The event was attended by actors like Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Divya Dutta, Rajit Kapoor and late actor Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor, who also starred in Junoon.