Dev Benegal

Dev Benegal is a screenwriter and director and is famous for his debut film English, August (1994) and he won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English. He has directed many films and documentaries over the years and won several awards.

Dev was born to Som Benegal and and Suman Benegal in Bombay. His father was a theatre director and mother,a house wife. Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal is a renowned Indian director and sc >> Read More... is the elder brother of Som Benegal. Dev was brought up in Delhi and later shifted to Mumbai to build his career. He pursued his further studies in Cinematography in New York University of Film for two years.

Dev assisted his uncle Shyam Benegal in making films like Kalyug (1980) and Mandi (1983). He directed a lot of famous short films like Kalpavriksha: The Tree of Life (1988), Anantaupam: The infinite Forms (1987) and Kanakambaram: Cloth of Gold (1987). Dev has directed several documentaries like Shabana! with Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi is a film actress of Indian origin an >> Read More... in 2003, Field of Shadows in 1993, Merchants and Marxists: Stones of The Raj in 1997, but his most famous documentary film so far is on Satyajit Ray Biographies reveal bare details about the maverick >> Read More... , with the name of Satyajit Ray, made  in 1984.

The breakthrough film directed by Dev, which brought him immense fame was ‘English, August’ based on Indian Administrative Services. He had written and directed it. It was adapted from1989 novel of Upamanyu Chatterjee Upamanyu Chatterjee is an Indian civil servant. He >> Read More... with the name English, August. This film earned great accolades and appreciations for its urban theme and different storyline. It was considered as a landmark in the history of Indian Cinema because of its modern theme and its revolutionary approach against the ongoing Anglo Indian Literary Movement in India.

Dev recreated the same aura in 1999 with the film ‘Split Wide Open’ of the same genre and it was critically acclaimed throughout. This film won him the Special Jury Prize at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2000. Another flick made under his direction, ‘Road, Movie’ got premiered in Toronto International Film Festival. Abhay Deol Abhay Deol is an actor and director of the TV indu >> Read More... and Tannishtha Chatterjee Tannishtha Chatterjee is a famous actress of Bolly >> Read More... were in the lead roles and it was based on the travelling cinema troupe of Rajasthan. He is currently working on the biopic of great Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.