Maya Darpan director Kumar Shahani dies at 83 in Kolkata, confirms Mita Vashisht: His health had been declining

Kumar Shahani was ailing and had been in and out of the hospital. He directed films such as Char Adhyay and Kasba.

Filmmaker Kumar Shahani died at the age of 83 at a hospital in Kolkata. News agency PTI quoted his close friend, actor Mita Vashisht, as saying that the filmmaker 'was ailing and his health had been declining'. He died in Dhakuria's AMRI hospital on Saturday night.

Kumar Shahani is survived by his wife and two daughters.

What happened to Kumar Shahani

Mita said, "He passed away around 11 pm last night due to age-related health issues at a hospital in Kolkata. He was ailing and his health had been declining. It’s a deep personal loss. We were in touch with his family. Kumar and I would talk a lot and I knew he was ailing and was in and out of hospital."

Mita remembers Kumar Shahani

Mita hailed Shahani for his pivotal role in the parallel cinema movement in India. “I admired him as a human being and as a filmmaker. He was one of the greatest directors in our country. His integrity and consciousness towards society, art, cinema, was unparallel. His films were inspiring,” the actor said. She worked with the director on Vaar Vaar Vaari, Khayal Gatha and Kasba.

About Kumar Shahani

Shahani is survived by his wife and two daughters. His family and friends did the cremation on Sunday afternoon. The filmmaker was born in Larkana, Sindh in the undivided India. After the partition in 1947, Shahani's family shifted to Bombay. A significant name in the Indian parallel cinema, he directed films such as Maya Darpan, Char Adhyay and Kasba.

Kumar Shahani's life, career

Shahani studied at the Film and Television Institute of India with Mani Kaul, who also went on to become famous for his work in art house cinema. He debuted with Maya Darpan in 1972. The film, based on Hindi writer Nirmal Varma's short story, revolved around a woman divided between her lover and protecting the honour of her father in feudal India.

He followed it up with Tarang in 1984. Starring Amol Palekar and Smita Patil, the film received a national film award. The story revolved around an amoral businessman, who gets involved with a trade union leader's wife. In Khayal Gatha, Shahani traced the relationship of Khayal genre with Indian classical dance and featured Rajat Kapoor and Mita Vashisht.

Kasba, his other feature, is about a dishonest businessman's adopted daughter, played by Vashisht, taking action when his eldest son, essayed by Shatrughan Sinha, is arrested for counterfeiting.

with PTI inputs

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