New Delhi, Dec. 25 -- Standing by a boulder on a TV set inside Bombay's Film City studio, "Jawaharlal Nehru" seemed shorter in real life than what he appeared in pictures and newsreels. That was because he was not the real Nehru but the actor Roshan Seth portraying him in 1987 during the shoot of the iconic television series "Bharat Ek Khoj" based on the first Indian prime minister's celebrated book 'The Discovery of India'.

"Panditji, can you move a couple steps closer," said the bearded man in a khaki Panama hat, blue denim shirt and black trousers. That was Shyam Benegal, one of India's most celebrated filmmakers, who passed away at age 90 on December 23 in Mumbai.

I was waiting for him to finish the scene. He had been told that I wa...