Filmmaker Kumar Shahani, a well-known figure in Indian parallel cinema, passes away at the age of 83

At the age of 83, filmmaker Kumar Shahani, a well-known figure in Indian parallel cinema, passed away. His credits include “Maya Darpan,” “Char Adhyay,” and “Kasba.”

According to close friend and actress Mita Vashisht, the filmmaker died suddenly on Saturday night at a hospital in Kolkata.

“Age-related health difficulties caused him to die away in a Kolkata hospital yesterday night at about 11 p.m. His condition had been deteriorating, and he was unwell. Vashisht, who collaborated with the filmmaker on “Vaar Vaar Vaari,” “Khayal Gatha,” and “Kasba,” told PTI, “It’s a deep personal loss.”

“We had communication with his relatives. I knew Kumar was sick and often in and out of the hospital because we would have long conversations,” the actor said.

The two daughters and the wife of Shahani survive her.

The director was born in the united Indian state of Sindh, in Larkana. Shahani’s family moved to Mumbai after Partition.

Mani Kaul, who later gained fame for his work in art house film, was a student of Shahani’s at the Film and Television Institute of India. In 1972, Shahani made his stage debut in “Maya Darpan.” Based on a short novel by Hindi author Nirmal Varma, the movie followed a lady in medieval India who was torn between defending her father’s honor and her love interest.

“Tarang” was his follow-up release in 1984. The movie, which starred Smita Patil and Amol Palekar, won a national film award. The protagonist of the tale is an immoral businessman who has an affair with the wife of a trade union leader.

Rajat Kapoor and Mita Vashisht were included in Shahani’s “Khayal Gatha,” which explored the connection between the Khayal genre and Indian classical dance.

In his second film, “Kasba,” Vashisht plays the adopted daughter of an unscrupulous businessman who takes action when his oldest son, Shatrughan Sinha, gets convicted for counterfeiting.

Shahani’s crucial contribution to the Indian alternative film movement was praised by Vashisht.

He was a filmmaker and a person I respected. He was among the best filmmakers our nation has ever produced. His honesty and awareness of the arts, society, and movies were unmatched. The actor added, “His films were inspirational.”