Who are they? Why did he travel from India to France after a long journey? No one cared! No one was interested! However, when Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi dressed up in South Indian saris and started walking towards the French Riviera, everyone's attention was drawn.

That morning, the world cinema looked at them and said, 'Cannes has arrived, desi people' . This was in 1976. Shyam Benegal's film 'Nishant' was selected at the then prestigious film festival Cannes . It was an important moment at an international festival like Cannes for Benegal, who planted the seeds of a parallel (different/new) edge in the Indian cinema industry with 'Ankur'. At that time, the film festival was a festival in a special sense, there was no fashion parade.

However, since they had no other way to promote the film, director Benegal asked the two actresses to parade in sarees. 'I want you both to wear a very nice South Indian saree . Starting to walk in the same saree from 8 o'clock in the morning,' said Benegal at that time, Shabana said recently in an interview. Everyone was seen in 'beachwear' by the sea, but Smita and Shabana in silk sarees! Whenever people's attention was drawn to them, the two would say, 'Our film is being screened at such and such time. Come to see' . They promoted the film walking like this, there was no lack of audience in the hall.  This style of advertising for Benegal, the pioneer of

parallel films, seemed very uneven . Even now Smita and Shabana remember this unique advertising style of director Benegal . Benegal once worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency. It was while working there that Benegal realized his inclination towards films and started making films.

Benegal, who was born in Telangana, grew up around films. His father was a still photographer, later also made short films. Senior filmmaker Guru Dutt is his cousin! Benegal, a post graduate in Economics from Osmania University in Hyderabad, came to Mumbai with the idea of ​​working as Guru Dutt's assistant. However, he did not work as an assistant. He made a film based on his own ideas.

Benegal made films on important issues like caste struggle, women's issues, multi-dimensionality of community, class divide. His films in the genres of realism and social commentary started a parallel film campaign in India between the 1970s and 1980s. At that time, some people discussed Benegal as a moderate filmmaker. But, he never liked the word . He preferred to call his films different. A recipient of several national awards, Beneg directed films like 'Bhumika', 'Junoon', 'Arohan', 'Netaji Subashandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero', 'Manthan' along with Nishant and Ankur.