ReFocus: The Films of Shyam Benegal

The aim of this ReFocus volume has been to critically evaluate the eclectic films of one of post-independent India’s most feted directors. Given the sheer enormity of Benegal’s oeuvre, the book has attempted to be as representative as possible in its scope by choosing to examine the auteur’s ‘major’ as well as ‘minor’ cinematic ventures. The collection includes chapters on Benegal’s award winning films, such as Ankur, Nishant, and Manthan all credited for his hard-hitting portrayal of grass-root level problems in rural India, especially his engagement with poverty, caste discrimination, and sexual exploitation. The book will also have insightful essays on Benegal’s representations of the nation’s past in Junoon, Kalyug and Trikal.Benegal’s fascinating renditions of complex female subjectivities in his films like Bhumika and Mandi and his trilogy on Muslim women – Mammo, Sardari Begum, and Zubeidaa – will be explored in detail. The collection also consists of contributions on Benegal’s bio-pics on Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose which will illustrate how he has revised the lives of these legendary political leaders. Analyses of lesser-known but pivotal films, namely Arohan and Suraj ka Satvan Ghoda, as well as Benegal’s recent directorial endeavours, Welcome to Sajjanpur and Well Done Abba, also falls under the purview of this volume. In addition, the book will feature an interview with Benegal. The worth of a volume like The Films of Shyam Benegal is immense, for an English-language assessment will invariably make the postcolonial filmmaker and his impressive body of work available to an international readership.