Amol Palekar

Last updated

Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar - Kolkata 2016-02-04 0749.JPG
Amol in 2016
Born (1944-11-24) 24 November 1944 (age 80) [1]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • singer
Years active1971–present
Spouses
Chitra Palekar
(m. 1969;div. 2001)
Sandhya Gokhale [2]
(m. 2001)
Parents
  • Kamalakar Palekar (father)
  • Suhasini Palekar (mother)
Awards Filmfare Best Actor Award:
1979: Gol Maal
Website amolpalekar.com
Signature
Amol Palekar Autograph.jpg

Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Palekar was born to Kamlakar and Suhasini Palekar in a Marathi speaking middle-class family in Mumbai. He had three sisters called Neelon, Rekha and Unnati. His father worked in the General Post Office and his mother worked in a private company. [4] Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he had seven one-man exhibitions and participated in many group shows. [5]

Acting career

Although he trained in fine arts, Palekar is better known as a stage and film actor. He has been active in the avant garde theatre in India in Marathi and Hindi theatre as an actor, director and producer since 1967. His contribution to the modern Indian theatre is often overshadowed by his popularity as a lead actor in Hindi films.

As a film actor, he was most prominent in the 1970s. His image as a "boy next door" contrasted with the larger-than-life heroes prevalent at that time in Indian cinema. He received three Filmfare Awards and six State awards as Best Actor. His performances in regional language films in Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada fetched him critical acclaim as well. He decided not to act after 1986 in order to concentrate on filmmaking.

As a director, he is known for the sensitive portrayal of women, selection of classic stories from Indian literature, and perceptive handling of progressive issues. He has directed several television serials on the national network such as Kachchi Dhoop, Mrignayani, Naquab, Paool Khuna and Krishna Kali.

Theatre career

Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and later started his own group, Aniket, in 1972. As a theatre actor, he was part of popular plays like Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe, Hayavadana and Adhe Adhure. [6] Following a performance on stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (India) (NCPA) in 1994, he returned to theatre after a gap of 25 years with the suspenseful play, Kusur (The Mistake). [7] This play is directed by him and he also plays the lead role. [8]

Movie career

Palekar in 2011 AmolPalekar.jpg
Palekar in 2011

Palekar made his debut in 1971 with the Marathi film Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe directed by Satyadev Dubey, which started the New Cinema Movement in Marathi. [9] In 1974 he was cast as an actor by Basu Chatterjee in Rajnigandha , and in the surprise low-budget hit, Chhoti Si Baat . This led to many other such roles in "middle-class" comedies, mostly alternative. These were mostly directed by Chatterjee or Hrishikesh Mukherjee and included films such as Gol Maal and Naram Garam . He won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Gol Maal.

He is noted for his image of the "middle-class everyman" who struggles to get a job ( Gol Maal ), his own flat ( Gharonda ), a girlfriend/wife ( Baaton Baaton Mein ), and appreciation from his boss.

In 1979, he was paired with a sixteen-year-old Sridevi in Solva Saawan, which was her debut Hindi movie as a heroine. Amol played the role of an intellectually disabled man, a character played by Kamal Haasan in the original Tamil movie.

In 1982 he played the role of Ravi in the Malayalam movie Olangal . He turned to directing with the Marathi film Aakriet. He showed his capabilities as a director with movies such as Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen and Paheli. Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen has become a part of management courses and study pertaining to human behaviour. [10] Paheli was India's official entry for Best Foreign Film at the 2006 Oscars. The movie, however, did not make it to the final nominations.

Palekar in 2016 Amol Palekar - Panel Discussion - Badal Sircar and His Theater - 40th International Kolkata Book Fair - Milan Mela Complex - Kolkata 2016-02-04 0859.JPG
Palekar in 2016

He has also given his voice to an HIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAids. [11] He is willing to act once again if he is given a challenging role. [12]

Personal life

He married Sandhya Gokhale after his divorce from his first wife, Chitra. [13] [14] [2] Palekar regards himself as an agnostic atheist. [15]

In February 2022, Palekar was hospitalized in Pune for COVID-19 related complications. [16]

Filmography

As an actor

YearFilmRoleNotes
1969Bajiraocha Beta Marathi film
1971 Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe Marathi film
1974 Rajnigandha Sanjay
1975 Jeevana Jyoti Sanjay Telugu film
1976 Chhoti Si Baat Arun PradeepNominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Chitchor Vinod
1977 Gharaonda Sudip
Bhumika Keshav DalviWon: Filmfare Special Performance Award [17]
Agar... If Anil Aggarwal
Taxi Taxie Dev/Hero
Tuch Maazi Raani Marathi film
Kanneshwara Rama Chenneera Kannada film
1978 Damaad Sharad Mazgaonkar
Safed Jhoot Amol 'Ramu' Palekar
1979 Baaton Baaton Mein Tony Braganza
Gol Maal Ram Prasad Sharma / Lakshman Prasad Sharma (Lucky)Won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Do Ladke Dono Kadke Hari
Meri Biwi Ki Shaadi Bhagwant Kumar Bartendu "Bhagu"
Solva Sawan
Bin Baap Ka Beta
Mother Marathi film
Jeena Yahan Dinesh
1980 Aanchal Kishan Lal
Apne Paraye Chandranath
1981 Naram Garam Ram Eshwar Prasad
Sameera
AkrietMukutrao Shinde Marathi film won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Marathi
Kalankini Bengali film
Agni Pareeksha Alok Choudhary / Ramesh Khanna
Chehre Pe Chehra Peter
Plot No. 5
1982 Jeevan Dhaara Anand Bhatnagar
Olangal Ravi Chattan Malayalam film
Ramnagari
Spandan
Shriman Shrimati Madhu Gupta
1983 Rang Birangi Ajay Sharma
Ashray
Pyaasi Aankhen
Chena Achena Bengali film
1984 Tarang Rahul
Aadmi Aur Aurat Tapan SinhaTV movie
Prarthana
Sringara Masa Kannada film
Mr. X AmarVoice dubbed by other artist
1985 Khamosh Amol Palekar
Jhoothi Inspector Kamal Nath
Ankahee Devkinandan Chaturvedi 'Nandu'
Abasheshe Bengali film
1986 Baat Ban Jaye Yeshwant Rao Bhonsle
1994 Teesra Kaun? C. K. Kadam
2001 Aks The Defence Minister
2009 Samaantar Keshav Vaze Marathi film
2021 200 – Halla Ho Justice Vitthal Daangle Hindi ZEE5 film
2023 Gulmohar Sudhakar Batra Disney+Hotstarfilm
2023 Farzi Shahid Kapoor Amazon Primefilm

As a director

Feature films in other regional languages

TV serials

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotes
2023 Farzi Madhav (Nanu) [19]
TBA GormintTBA [19]

Awards

AwardFilmYearStatus
Best Feature Film in Marathi Bangarwadi 1995Won
Special Jury Award (Feature Film) Daayraa 1996Won
Best Film on Other Social Issues Kairee1999Won
Best Film on Family Welfare Dhyaas Parva 2000Won
Best Feature Film in English Quest 2006Won
Best Actor Chhoti Si Baat 1977Nominated
Gol Maal 1980Won
Best ActorAkriet1981Won

Reality television shows

Related Research Articles

<i>Rajnigandha</i> 1974 Indian film

Rajnigandha (transl. Tuberose) is a 1974 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee. It is based on the short story "Yehi Sach Hai" by noted Hindi writer Mannu Bhandari. The movie starred Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha and Dinesh Thakur in the lead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hrishikesh Mukherjee</span> Indian film director (1922–2006)

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades, and is named the pioneer of the 'middle cinema' of India. Renowned for his social films that reflected the changing middle-class ethos, Mukherjee "carved a middle path between the extravagance of mainstream cinema and the stark realism of art cinema".

<i>Gol Maal</i> 1979 Indian Hindi-language comedy film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Gol Maal (transl. Twisty-Turvy) is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and written by Rahi Masoom Raza and Sachin Bhowmick. It was produced by N. C. Sippy, with music by R. D. Burman. The film won several awards and was praised by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utpal Dutt</span> Indian actor, director, playwright (1929–1993)

Utpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little Theatre Group" in 1949. This group enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period now known as the "Epic theatre" period, before it immersed itself completely in highly political and radical theatre. His plays became an apt vehicle for the expression of his Marxist ideologies, visible in socio-political plays such as Kallol (1965), Manusher Adhikar, Louha Manob (1964), Tiner Toloar and Maha-Bidroha. He also acted in over 100 Bengali and Hindi films in a career spanning 40 years, and remains most known for his roles in films such as Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome (1969), Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk (1991), Gautam Ghose’s Padma Nadir Majhi (1992) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy Hindi comedies such as Gol Maal (1979) and Rang Birangi (1983). He also did the role of a sculptor, Sir Digindra Narayan, in the episode Seemant Heera of Byomkesh Bakshi on Doordarshan in 1993, shortly before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anant Nag</span> Indian actor, politician (born 1948)

Anant Nagarkatte is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been in Kannada cinema. He has acted in over 300 films which include over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and English films. He has featured in theatre plays, parallel cinema and television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagyashree</span> Indian actress (born 1969)

Bhagyashree Patwardhan Dassani, known mononymously as Bhagyashree, is an Indian actress. She is known for her roles in Hindi language film and television. She is a recipient of a Filmfare Award, in addition to receiving nomination for Indian Television Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badal Sircar</span> Indian playwright

Sudhindra Sircar, also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the proscenium and into public arena, when he transformed his own theatre company, Shatabdi as a third theatre group. He wrote more than fifty plays of which Ebong Indrajit, Basi Khabar, and Saari Raat are well known literary pieces. A pioneering figure in street theatre as well as in experimental and contemporary Bengali theatre with his egalitarian "Third Theatre", he prolifically wrote scripts for his Aanganmanch performances, and remains one of the most translated Indian playwrights. Though his early comedies were popular, it was his angst-ridden Evam Indrajit that became a landmark play in Indian theatre. Today, his rise as a prominent playwright in 1960s is seen as the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Bengali, just as Vijay Tendulkar did it in Marathi, Mohan Rakesh in Hindi, and Girish Karnad in Kannada.

Ayananka Bose is an Indian cinematographer for Bollywood films. He studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu in Chennai. He won the best cinematographer of Zee Cine Awards for the film Kites in 2011.

Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe is a Marathi play written by Indian playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1963 and first performed in 1967, directed by Arvind Deshpande, with Sulbha Deshpande as the main lead. Film received National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film At 19th National Film Awards. Sulabha Deshpande Won Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Actress.

<i>Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen</i> 1990 film directed by Amol Palekar

Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen is a 1990 Hindi movie directed by Amol Palekar. It features Anita Kanwar, Nana Patekar, and Vikram Gokhale as major actors. This movie has become a part of management courses and studies pertaining to human behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirmal Pandey</span> Indian actor

Nirmal Pandey was an Indian Bollywood actor who was known for his roles of Vikram Mallah in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1994), and Dajjal in television series Hatim. He portrayed a transvestite in Daayraa (1996) for which he won a Best Actor Valenti award in France. He also appeared in Train To Pakistan (1998) and Godmother (1999). He played the role of Kishan Bhatta in Malayalam language film Dubai (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satish Alekar</span> Indian Marathi playwright, actor and theatre director

Satish Vasant Alekar is a Marathi playwright, actor, and theatre director. A founder member of the Theatre Academy of Pune, and most known for his plays Mahanirvan (1974), Mahapoor (1975), Atirekee (1990), Pidhijat (2003), Mickey ani Memsahib (1973), and Begum Barve (1979), all of which he also directed for the Academy. ‘’ Ek Divas Mathakade एकदिवस मठाकडे ‘’ (2012) and ‘’ ठकीशी संवाद Thakishi Samvad’’ (2024) these two recent plays were directed by Nipun Dharmadhikari and Anupam Barve respectively. Along with Mahesh Elkunchwar and Vijay Tendulkar he is considered among the most influential and progressive playwrights in modern Marathi and Indian theatre.

Bhaskar Chandavarkar was an Indian sitar player, academic and film and theatre composer who worked with well-known directors of Indian cinema like Mrinal Sen, Girish Karnad, Aparna Sen, K. G. George and Amol Palekar in various languages including Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Oriya and was known for his blending of Indian classical and western music.

Ankahee is a 1985 Indian drama film directed by Amol Palekar and starring Amol Palekar, Deepti Naval and Shreeram Lagoo. It was based on the Marathi-language play Kalay Tasmai Namaha by C. T. Khanolkar. The film is also noted for its soundtrack, which won two awards at the 32nd National Film Awards, including Best Music Direction for Jaidev and Best Male Playback Singer for noted classical singer Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Asha Bhosle also sang a couple of song, "Kauno Thagwa Nagariya" & "Mujhe Bhi Radha Bana De Nandlal". Director Amol Palekar's next film in the dual role of actor-director was Samaantar (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shubha Khote</span> Indian film and television actress

Shubha Balsavar is an Indian film and television actress who has worked in several Hindi-language and a few Marathi-language films. She is also a former women's national champion in swimming and cycling.

Apne Paraye is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee and produced by Mushir Alam. It stars Amol Palekar and Shabana Azmi in pivotal roles. It is based on the 1917 Bengali novel, Nishkriti by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulabha Deshpande</span> Indian actress and theatre director (1937-2016)

Sulabha Deshpande was an Indian actress and theatre director. Apart from Marathi theatre and Hindi theatre in Mumbai, she acted in over 73 mainstream Bollywood films. She also performed in art house cinema such as Bhumika (1977), Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978), and Gaman (1978) as a character actor, along with numerous TV series and plays. A leading figure in the experimental theatre movement of the 1960s, she was associated with Rangayan, and personalities like Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta, and Satyadev Dubey. In 1971, she co-founded the theatre group Awishkar with her husband Arvind Deshpande, and also started its children's wing, Chandrashala, which continues to perform professional children's theatre. In later years, she acted in serials such as Jee Ley Zara, Ek Packet Umeed, Asmita and in films such as English Vinglish (2012).

Chandrakant Kulkarni is an Indian director, script writer and actor associated with Marathi theatre and film. He is known for his works of directing the plays Wada Chirebandi, Dhyanimani, Gandhi Virudh Gandhi and most recently the remake of Hamidabaichi Kothi. He has also directed the acclaimed films Bindhaast (1999) and Tukaram (2012).

Chhaya Ganguly is an Indian playback singer. She received National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her first film song "Aapki Yaad Aati Rahi Raat Bhar" at the 26th National Film Awards For the same song, she was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer at the 27th Filmfare Awards.

References

  1. "'आपल्यातीलच एक' थोडासा रुमानी झाला तेव्हा A correct reference about his birthday from marathi language newspaper loksatta news, janeman is confirmed person with him to be 24 November, 2014 during Marathi language wikipedia workshop". Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Amol Palekar: Baaton Baaton Mein". The Times of India . 19 October 2003. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  3. "Paheli is a simple, loveable film". Rediff.com . 21 June 2005. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  4. "Amol Palekar: Baaton Baaton Mein - The Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  5. "Painting is like 'ghar wapsi' for me: Amol Palekar". FilmyKeeday. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  6. Sharma, Devesh (27 March 2020). "Top Bollywood actors who started life on stage". filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. Singh, Deepali (14 December 2019). "Palekar's latest challenge". Livemint. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. "Theatre review: Kusur (The Mistake) - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  9. "Amol Palekar's debut". The Times of India. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  10. "Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaaye : Movie Review | kanikaspeaks". Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  11. "Star touch to animated film on HIV/AIDS". The New Indian Express . 27 November 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. "Amol Palekar: Can return to screen if role is challenging". 17 November 2013. NDTV. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  13. Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine .
  14. "Amol Palekar is back in action, this time with an English language ..." The Indian Express . 2 August 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  15. "Atheism is the religion for these filmi folk". The Times of India . The Times Group. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  16. "Veteran actor Amol Palekar hospitalized due to Covid complications". Tribune India. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  17. "The Times of India directory and year book including who's who 1984".
  18. "Focus". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Shahid Kapoor calls Amol Palekar 'OG middle class good guy', says: 'It was a privilege to have him on Farzi'". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.