Boman Irani: My trip to London with Shyam Benegal ji is among my fondest memories

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who died in Mumbai on December 23 at the age of 90, was a pioneering figure in the parallel cinema movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Known for his realistic depictions of societal problems, Benegal’s work left an impact of duration on Indian cinema.

Actor Boman Iraniwho worked with him on the film Well Done Abba in 2009, says that some of the fondest memories of his life were with Benegal.

Read also: Amitabh Bachchan pays tribute to Shyam Benegal: ‘We have lost another stalwart of the film industry’

“I have never left a movie set crying in my life. I did, shamelessly so. I needed to be comforted. I knew I would never have an experience like this again. I learned a lot and found a wonderful man who was one of the greatest conversationalists I know. I’m not even exaggerating! From the design on a tile, he could tell you where it came from. He could talk about it at length. The knowledge the man had was beyond ordinary. He also made his actors feel special,” the 65-year-old tells us.

Well Done Abba toured several film festivals, including one held in London. Irani reveals that he made sure to travel with Benegal for it: “The festival had given him only one ticket because he was the director. I said “I’ll buy my own ticket, I just want to be on the same flight”. We stayed together and walked around London like two kids. I was like a boring fan. That trip was special. We shopped together, walked around,” adding: “The last time I met him was at a wedding. He scolded me “where the hell is the script you wrote?” I would bump into him on one flight or another. He had one of the sweetest giggles an adult could have.”