I get to learn a lot from the young crop: Shyam Benegal

Acclaimed director Shyam Benegal might have won awards and accolades but he is still hungry to learn.

The film-maker says it is the works of fresh minds like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Shimit Amin and others that gives him a lot of fodder for new thoughts.

“I get to learn a lot from the young crop. It is great to see the reaction they have towards society, life in general and the different situations and issues plaguing us. I get to understand how the youth of the country is thinking. They are the pulse of the youth and as a film-maker I want to know how the youth is seeing things and know the outlook of the next generation. Film-makers like Anurag, Vishal, Shimit, Neeraj Pandey, Nishikanth Kamat, Dibakar Banerjee and many others are fanastic. I look forward to seeing their films,” Shyam tells DNA.

The director is ready with his forthcoming movie, a political satire that tells the story of Armaan Ali — a driver working in Mumbai, who takes a month’s leave from his employer to find a groom for his daughter.

Shyam is comparing the versatile Boman Irani, who plays the lead in the movie, to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

“He is an actor with a huge range of versatility. He can sing and dance and he can do the offbeat and the over the top with ease. He reminds me of the method actors like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro,” he says.

Shyam’s movies have always had the fragrance of the soil. “I enjoy telling stories that are believable and credible and not outlandish. I like real people and real settings and real issues. What’s a story without drama and the most important is human drama that engages us all,” he ends.