Shyam Benegal is, according to John Hood, "one of India's best-known exponents of narrative realism." For me, Benegal will always be the man responsible for my favorite Hindi film, Ankur (that is, before I see Uski Roti or Khandahar). He is, for the lack of a better comparison, less "experimental" than early Satyajit Ray, although Benegal has evidently adopted the best elements from Ray's Apu Trilogy. Great attention is given to visual precision and narrative economy. Equally remarkable is the naturalistic acting, free from any kind of contrived emotion. The music at its best complements the mood without manipulating it. Please note that I am speaking from the perspective of having only seen the unanimously good ones - namely Ankur, Nishant, Bhumika and Mammo. (Contrary to John Hood's comments, I don't find the last thrid of Bhumika tedious at all)
During my process of exploration I have discovered several labels: Sky, Eros, Shemaroo, and Video Sound (as well as Yash Raj, although I have yet to open my Zubeidaa). Sky and Eros are hit-and-miss, although they seem faithful to their source print quality. There is quite a bit of overlap between Video Sound and Shemaroo titles, hence this comparison. Shemaroo almost guarantees digitally-remastered picture, although the label finds its major weakness in subtitles. Compared to Video Sound, Shemaroo runs a higher frequency of missing sentences, either out of sloppiness or out of good intention - for those that are derogatory (as in the case of Mandi). Shemaroo is based in Mumbai, while Video Sound comes from Edison, NJ. Shemaroo is more difficult to find online. Video Sound is more likely to get pirated. Nehaflix offers many Video Sound discs at affordable and agreable prices. For Shemaroo, however, one might need to go to the local Indian DVD stores. Nevertheless, the images speak for themselves. Here are some screen captures of Bhumika, Video Sound on top, Shemaroo on the bottom:
