Amrish Puri was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular and iconic actors in Indian cinema. Puri is remembered for playing various roles in variety of film genres, specially iconic villainous roles in Hindi cinema, as well as international cinema. He reigned supreme in villainous roles in the 1980s and 1990s, his dominating screen presence and distinctive deep voice made him stand out amongst the other villains of the day. Puri was active in both art cinema such as in some of Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani's films as well as in mainstream cinema. Puri won three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in eight nominations. He also holds most Filmfare Award for Best Villain nominations.
Puri at the premiere of The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003
Shyam Benegal is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts.
Shyam Benegal at his office in Mumbai in 2010
Shyam Benegal, at International Film Festival of Kerala 2016 Thiruvananthapuram, 11 December