TV channel salutes Shyam Benegal's work, filmmaker delighted

Television channel Zee Classic will host a month-long film festival titled "Benegal@Work" which will showcase master craftsman Shyam Benegal's masterpieces. The acclaimed filmmaker is "delighted" and "eagerly" waiting to see the audiences' response to his work.

Zee Classic, which shows films from the classic era of Hindi cinema, will start beaming the films Jan 11.

"I am delighted. I have always believed that something like this should happen. Through this, you will get to see films which are not mainstream ," Benegal said Thursday at a press conference to launch the festival.

"We hardly see any channel for classic films. The whole idea of dedicating a channel to such films is that it will open up opportunities for such films," he added.

"Benegal@Work" will start with "Ankur", a film that highlighted the exploitation of Dalits. The filmmaker won a National Award for the film, which starred Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag.

Other films that will be screened include "Trikal", "Bhumika - The Role", "Mandi" and "Nishant".

"I am happy that there is a small festival on my films. It is very interesting. I am eager to know how these films would be liked by the audience," said Benegal whose current project is "Samvidhaan", a 10-part mini series on the making of the Constitution of India.