Savita Prabhune (born 14 July 1964) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Marathi and Hindi television, theatre and cinema. With a career spanning nearly four decades, she is celebrated for her nuanced portrayals of strong, self-respecting women in Marathi films and for her impactful supporting roles on Hindi television.[1] She has received several accolades, including two Maharashtra State Film Award, an Indian Telly Award, and a Natya Darpan Award.
An alumna of the NSD, she began her career in experimental and commercial Marathi theatre before transitioning to films in the mid-1980s. She earned early recognition for her performances in Lek Chalali Sasarla (1984), Gadbad Ghotala (1986), Dhakti Suun (1986) and Mamla Porincha (1988), eventually becoming a prominent leading actress in Marathi cinema with critically and commercially successful films like Kalat Nakalat, for which she received the Maharashtra State Best Actress Award in 1989.
By the mid-1990s, Prabhune had established herself on Indian television, with early appearances in serials such as Phoolwanti and Itihaas. Her transition to mother and character roles was met with critical acclaim, particularly for her performances in Koshish – Ek Aashaa,Kkusum and Kkavyanjali. She attained widespread popularity with her portrayal of Sulochana Karanjkar in the long-running Zee TV series Pavitra Rishta (2009–2014), a role that earned her multiple awards. Alongside her television success, she continued working in theatre and films, with notable performances in Char Divas Premache,Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai 2, and Miss U Mister, the latter earning her a Filmfare Marathi nomination.
Savita Prabhune was born on 14 July 1964, in Wai, Maharashtra, India, into a Maharashtrian family with deep-rooted cultural values. Her father was a renowned doctor and she has a younger brother who is also a doctor and settled in Pune.[2] From an early age, Savita showed a keen interest in acting. After completing her primary education in Bachelor of Arts, her father encouraged her to pursue formal training in the performing arts.[3] She went on to join the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi, where she was batchmates with notable actors like Shrivallabh Vyas, Satyabrata Rout and Sushmita Mukherjee.[4]
Career
Early years and film debut (1983–1985)
After earning her diploma from the National School of Drama (NSD) in 1983, Prabhune began her professional acting journey with Maharani Padmini, an experimental play staged by the acclaimed theatre group Natyasampada.[5] Her transition into commercial theatre came with Nishpap, helmed by veteran actor-director Sadashiv Amrapurkar. The production garnered appreciation, won a Maharashtra State Best Actress Award, and helped establish her early presence on the Marathi stage.[6]
In 1984, even as she remained active in theatre, she ventured into Hindi cinema with minor appearances. She featured in NFDC’s Party, directed by Govind Nihalani, where she played a fan of Shafi Inamdar’s character, and also in Rajshri Productions’ Abodh, essaying the role of Madhuri Dixit’s sister-in-law.[3][7] That same year marked her debut in Marathi films with supporting roles. Her first appearance came in N. S. Vaidya’s superhit Lek Chalali Sasarla, a dowry-themed marital drama produced by Annasaheb Deulgaonkar, in which she played a principled sister-in-law confronting domestic abuse. She shared the screen with Laxmikant Berde, Alka Kubal, Shashikala, and Mahesh Kothare.[citation needed] She next featured as the second lead in Aali Laher Kela Kahar, a romantic drama where she played a contemporary urban woman who captures the affection of Vicky, portrayed by Kuldeep Pawar.[8]
Leading roles in Marathi cinema and critical acclaim (1986–1993)
Prabhune breakthrough as a leading actress arrived with Gadbad Ghotala, a comedy-drama opposite Ashok Saraf, where she portrayed Bhimrao’s daughter—an earnest young woman balancing love and her father’s political aspirations.[citation needed] The disco number “Tuje Maje Nathe Raja,” picturized on the film’s leads, became a cult favourite in the 1980s.[citation needed] This success was followed by Khara Varasdar, directed by Bipin Varti, in which she delivered a poignant performance as a devoted wife committed to her mentally challenged husband’s wellbeing.[9] That same year saw her reunite with N. S. Vaidya in Dhakti Suun, playing the titular daughter-in-law, a resilient and self-respecting woman who turns adversity into achievement, ultimately becoming an entrepreneur.[10][11] Each of these films fared well commercially, solidifying her image as a rising lead actress in Marathi cinema.
Continuing her momentum, she appeared in several films the following year. These included Chhakke Panje, a romantic comedy where she acted alongside Dilip Prabhavalkar; Vahinisaheb, a family drama where she played the title character; and Khara Kadhi Bolu Naye, a comedy directed by Ravi Namade, where she starred opposite Laxmikant Berde.[12][13] Her films in 1988 featured Mamla Porincha, a Marathi adaptation of the Hollywood classic 9 to 5, where she played one of three headstrong working women who confront a lecherous boss.[14] The film, co-starring Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, and Nivedita Joshi, turned into a major box office hit and was later remade in Hindi as Hello Darling (2010).[15] That year, she also appeared in Gauracha Navra directed by Usha Chavan, in the role of a domestic worker.[16]
In 1989, her only release was the comedy Pheka Pheki, directed by Bipin Varti, a Marathi remake of Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar (1973), the film featured her as a shrewd and suspicious wife opposite Ashok Saraf and its blend of sharp humour and chaos was both critically and commercially acclaimed.[17][1][18] She as an actress received a major boost opposite Vikram Gokhale in Asmita Chitra’s acclaimed social drama Kalat Nakalat.[19] She portrayed a strong-willed wife whose world is shaken after discovering that her husband had a one-night stand with his widowed secretary.[20] The film was both a critical and commercial success, with particular praise for Prabhune’s powerful performance.[21] A critic from WordPress observed, "The film derives the much-loved ‘creative tension’, thanks to the headstrong wife played by Savita Prabhune. She represents someone who is truly committed to the family and has not had any marital problems earlier."[22]Kalat Nakalat bagged the National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film and secured seven Maharashtra State Film Awards, including Best Actress for Prabhune.[23]
Following this acclaim, she next appeared in Tuzhi Mazhi Jamli Jodi, an ensemble family drama where she played a disillusioned wife coping with an alcoholic and philandering husband. The film was a major box office success.[24] In Kuldeepak, her third collaboration with director N. S. Vaidya, she took on the role of a widow abandoned by her in-laws, raising her son alone after her husband’s murder.[25] Next, she starred as a defense lawyer in Dhadaka, a courtroom drama that saw a delayed release but was notable as opposite Ravindra Mahajani’s final lead role.[26]
Her television debut came in 1992 with Phoolwanti, a musical drama based on a story by noted writer Narayan Sitaram Phadke. Produced by Usha Mangeshkar and aired on Doordarshan, the series starred Arun Govil, Archana Joglekar, and Prabhune, who played Lakshmi, the dignified wife of Venkatadhwari Narasimha Shastri. The show gained significant popularity and became one of the most well-received television dramas of its time.[27][28] She also had a brief yet impactful role in the Hindi film Current (1992), produced by NFDC.[29]
The following year, she was seen in two significant Marathi films. In Shrabani Deodhar’s Lapandav, a National Award-winning comedy-drama, she played a wife suspicious of her husband’s fidelity, again opposite Vikram Gokhale and also featured in Paisa Paisa Paisa, directed by Kumar Sohoni, where she portrayed a materialistic woman.[30] These films marked her final appearances as a leading lady.[31]
Television and notable roles (1992–2008)
From 1995, she transitioned more regularly to television. She featured in episodic roles in Raaz....Ki Ek Baat... (1995), and subsequently in Sony TV’s comedy Yeh Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti (1995–1997), followed by the period drama Itihaas (1996–1998), marking her first project with Ekta Kapoor for Balaji Telefilms.[32][33] In 1998, she was cast in UTV’s Saaya, where she played the mother of Manasi Joshi Roy’s character in a story centred around two contrasting women.[34] The next year saw her appear in Neena Gupta’s StarPlus drama Pal Chhin, and she also featured in an episode of Suraag – The Clue, a crime series.[35][36][37]
In the mid-2000s, she appeared in the critical acclaimed Tamil-Telugu bilingual film 7G Rainbow Colony, playing a mother who ultimately empathizes with her daughter’s lover.[47] She also featured in the Bhojpuri political drama film Banke Biharee M.L.A., alongside Ravi Kishan and Rambha.[48] Her most iconic television role came as Sulochana Karanjkar in Balaji’s popular daily soap Pavitra Rishta, which aired on Zee TV from 2009 to 2014.[49] She played the affectionate and principled mother of the female protagonist, portrayed by Ankita Lokhande.[50] At the time, it became the third longest-running Indian television series on Zee TV, completing a successful five-year run. Prabhune’s performance earned her several awards and nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category, including the Indian Telly Award and two Boroplus Gold Awards.[51][52]
Prabhune married her NSD batchmate Rajesh Kumar Singh in 1984, but the couple later divorced in 2000.[63][64] They have a daughter, Satwika Singh, who was formerly a model and is now professionally associated with Warner Bros. Pictures.[65]
In 2011, she was part of the jury panel for the BIG Marathi Awards.[66]
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