Vasant Desai (1912–1975) was an Indian film music composer, most remembered for his score in V. Shantaram films like Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), Sampoorna Ramayan (1961), Ashirwad (1968) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Guddi (1971).
Kunku is a 1937 Marathi classic social drama film directed by V. Shantaram, and based on the novel, Na Patnari Goshta by Narayan Hari Apte, who also wrote film's screenplay. The film was simultaneously shot and released in Hindi as Duniya Na Maane.
Amar Bhoopali is a 1951 Indian film, produced and directed by V. Shantaram and written by Vishram Bedekar. It is a true story about a simple cow herder who has an innate gift of poetry, set in the waning days of the Maratha confederacy, c. early 19th century. It is an ode to the saffron flag of Marathas, calling on people to rise again against the foreign enemy. It competed for the Grand Prize of the Festival at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Das Baje, also called 10 O'Clock, is an Indian film. It was released in 1942. This was a debut direction for Raja Nene, a protege of V. Shantaram, and produced under Shantaram's Prabhat Film Company banner. The film was a bilingual, made in Hindi, and in the Marathi language as Daha Wajta. The music direction was by Keshavrao Bhole. The story was written by Kashyap and Pawar, with dialogues in Hindi by Ashant. The photography was by E. Mohammed. It starred Paresh Bannerji, Urmila and Vasant Thengdi in the lead roles, with Baby Shakuntala and Manajirao forming the supporting cast.
Parbat Pe Apna Dera is a Bollywood film directed by V. Shantaram. It was released in 1944. The story, dialogues and lyrics were written by Dewan Sharar. The music was composed by Vasant Desai. The film was produced under the Rajkamal Kalamandir banner and starred the "sensitive actress" Vanmala. Ulhas, cited as an actor known for his "melodramatic histrionics and a sonorous voice" was chosen to play the lead role of an "ascetic turned playboy". The cast included Shantarin, Madan Mohan, Kanta Kumari and Baby Nalini.
Anant Mane (1915-1995) was a film director from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India who directed approximately 60 movies during the golden era of Marathi cinema. He was known for making films based on the folk art form Tamasha, and also directed a number of family melodramas. He teamed up with the music director Vasant Pawar and directed several hit movies in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Ram Kadam was a noted Indian lavani composer and film score composer, who worked in Marathi cinema, during the 1940s to the 1990s, composing for nearly 200 films. He is most known for composing Lavani songs, a folk form of Maharashtra, and popular Lavani-based songs of hit film, Pinjra (1972), directed by V. Shantaram. He also composed music of plays.
Shantaram Govind Athavale was an Indian director of Marathi, Hindi and English language films, a lyricist, poet, and author. Part of the generation that emerged from the Prabhat Film Company in Pune in the 1930s, he made pioneering contributions to Marathi film.
Shejari is also known as Padosi in Hindi version as. Padosi is a 1941 Indian social drama film directed by V. Shantaram. It was produced by Prabhat Film Company and the bilingual film in Marathi and Hindi was the last film Shantaram made for Prabhat before venturing to form his Rajkamal Kalamandir. The film is cited as one of the three social classics Shantaram made at Prabhat. The other two were Duniya Na Mane (1937) and Aadmi (1939). The story and dialogue were by Vishram Bedekar in the Marathi version, while the dialogues in the Hindi version were by Pandit Sudarshan, who also wrote the lyrics. The music director was Master Krishnarao. The famous character artist Radhakrishan made his acting debut in the film as a villain. The film starred Mazhar Khan, Gajanan Jagirdar, Anees Khatoon, Radha Kishan, Lajwanti, Sumitra, Gopal and Balak Ram.
Rani Saheba also called Bazarbattu is a 1930 Indian silent film. It is cited as the first children's film made in India. The film was co-directed by V. Shantaram and Keshavrao Dhaiber. The cinematographers were S. Fattelal and Vishnupant Govind Damle and the cast included Keshavrao Dhaiber, Baburao Pendharkar, V. Shantaram and Anant Apte.
Khooni Khanjar is a 1930 Indian silent film directed by V. Shantaram. The film was a costume action drama film co-directed by Keshavrao Dhaiber. It was produced by Prabhat Film Company. The cinematography was by Sheikh Fattelal and Vishnupant Govind Damle. The cast included Mane Pahelwan, Ganpat G. Shinde, P. Jairaj, Sakribai and Shankarrao Bhosle.
Manoos, also called Life's for Living, is a 1939 Indian Marathi social melodrama film directed by V. Shantaram. The movie was simultaneously made in Hindi as Aadmi. The film was based on a short story called "The Police Constable". The story was by A. Bhaskarrao, with screenplay and dialogue by Anant Kanekar. The cinematographer was V. Avadhoot and the music was composed by Master Krishna Rao, with lyrics by Kanekar. The cast included Shahu Modak, Shanta Hublikar, Sundara Bai, Ram Marathe, Narmada, Ganpatrao and Raja Paranjpe.
Hansa Wadkar (1923–1971) was a Marathi and Hindi film and stage actress of Indian cinema. She started her acting career at the age of thirteen years, as a heroine in the bilingual film Vijaychi Lagne (1936). Wadkar went on to make a name for herself working in the reputable film companies like Bombay Talkies, Prabhat Film Company and National Studios. Her career defining role was in Vishnupant Damle's Sant Sakhu (1941) where she enacted the role of the female saint Sakhu. Her other memorable roles were in the Tamasha genre films like Lokshahir Ram Joshi (1947), termed as the "Classic Marathi Tamasha musical". Sangtye Aika (1959) was another of Marathi cinema's "best known Tamasha film" along with Ram Joshi. She thus acted in two of Marathi cinema's biggest hits Lokshahir Ramjoshi and Sangtye Aika. The title "Sangtye Aika" was used by Wadkar for her autobiography compiled in 1971. The autobiography was initially serialised in the Marathi magazine Manoos helped by journalist Arun Sadhu.
Vasant Joglekar (1914–1993) was a film director and producer. He directed several Marathi and Hindi movies, including Aanchal and Aaj Aur Kal.
Jayaram Shiledar (1915–1992) was an actor and singer in Marathi films and on Marathi musical stage.
Bin Kamacha Navra is a 1984 Indian Marathi-language comedy-drama film directed by Murlidhar Kapdi and written by Vasant Sabnis. The film stars Ashok Saraf, Ranjana, Kuldeep Pawar, Ravi Patwardhan, Nilu Phule, and Madhu Kambikar in the pivotal roles. In the history of Marathi cinema, "Bin Kamacha Navra" is still regarded as a cult film that fans still find moving and nostalgic.
Sangte Aika is an Indian Marathi-language classic tamasha film directed and produced by Anant Mane, from a screenplay Vyankatesh Madgulkar, featured Jayshree Gadkar, Dada Salvi, Chandrakant, Suryakant, Hansa Wadkar, Sulochana Latkar, Vasant Shinde. The film was a huge commercial hit, ran over 131 weeks in Pune’s Vijayanand Theatre and screened alomost two year across the cities in Maharashtra, a record that later broken by the Hindi film Sholay. Afterwards, the movie served as the inspiration for Wadkar's 1970 autobiography of the same name.
