Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

and

Marathi cinema Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was '' ...

Career

Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he had seven one-man exhibitions and participated in many group shows. However, 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 one

Filmfare award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

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 journey

Palekar began in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

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. Following a performance on stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in 1994, he returned to theatre after a gap of 25 years with the suspenseful play, Kusur (The Mistake). This play is directed by him and he also plays the lead role.

Movie career

Palekar made his debut in 1971 with the

film ''

Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe ''Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe'' (''Silence! The Court Is in Session'') 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. Th ...

'' directed by Satyadev Dubey, which started the New Cinema Movement in Marathi. In 1974 he was cast as an actor by

Basu Chatterjee Basu Chatterjee ( bn, বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chatterjee became associated with what came to be known as mi ...

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 Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) 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 car ...

and included films such as ''

Gol Maal ''Gol Maal'' () 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 w ...

'' and ''

Naram Garam ''Naram Garam'' is a 1981 Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film was produced by Subhash Gupta and Uday Narayan Singh and had music by R. D. Burman. It reprises many actors and actresses from the 1979 hit ''Gol M ...

''. 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 (''

''), 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 Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan (13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018), professionally credited with her stage name Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "First Femal ...

Solva Saawan ''Solva Sawan'' () is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sridevi and Amol Palekar, with Dina Pathak and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in supporting roles. It is a remake of Bharathiraja's own Tamil ...

, which was her debut Hindi movie as a heroine. Amol played the role of an intellectually disabled man, a character played by

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

in the original Tamil movie. In 1982 he played the role of Ravi in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

movie '' Olangal''. He turned to directing with the

film ''Aakriet''. He showed his capabilities as a director with movies such as

Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen ''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 study pertaining to human behaviou ...

and Paheli. ''Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen'' has become a part of management courses and study pertaining to human behaviour. ''Paheli'' was India's official entry for Best Foreign Film at the 2006

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. The movie, however, did not make it to the final nominations. He has also given his voice to an

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAids. He is willing to act once again if he is given a challenging role.

Personal life

Amol Palekar was born to Kamlakar and Suhasini Palekar in a lower-middle-class family in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. He was raised along with his three sisters, Neelon, Rekha and Unnati, by his father who worked in the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state mail, postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II of En ...

and his mother, who worked in a private company. He worked at the

Bank of India Bank of India (BOI) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Founded in 1906, it has been government-owned since nationalisation in 1969. BoI is a founder member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Inter ...

before he switched full-time to a career in acting. He also does some social work. He married Sandhya Gokhale after his divorce from his first wife, Chitra. Palekar regards himself as an agnostic atheist. In February 2022, Palekar was hospitalized in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

related complications.

Filmography

As an actor

As a director

* '' Aakreit'' (''Unimaginable'' in Marathi) – 1981 * '' Ankahee'' (''Unspoken'') – 1985 * '' Thodasa Rumani Ho Jaye'' – 1990 * '' Bangarwadi'' – 1995 * '' Daayraa'' (''The Square Circle'') – 1996 * '' Anahat'' (''Forever'') * ''Kairee'' (''Raw mango'') – 2001 * ''

Dhyaas Parva ''Dhyaas Parva'' ( ''An Era of Yearning'') is a 2001 Indian Marathi language biographical drama film about Raghunath Dhondo Karve, written bChitra Palekarand directed by Amol Palekar. The film stars Kishor Kadam in the lead role, with Seema B ...

'' (''Kal Kaa Aadmi'' in Hindi) – 2001 (based on

Raghunath Karve Raghunath Dhondo Karve (14 January 1882 – 14 October 1953) was a professor of mathematics and a social reformer from Maharashtra, India. He was a pioneer in initiating family planning and birth control for masses in Mumbai in 1921. Born in ...

's life, won the National Award for Best Film on Family Welfare) * '' Paheli'' (''Riddle'') – 2005 ( India's official entry to the 78th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film) * ''

Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ev ...

'' (English) – 2006 (won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English) * ''

Dumkata ''Dumkata'' ( ''A Tale of a Tail!'') is a Hindi-language comedy film directed by Amol Palekar and released in 2007. The film stars Om Puri, Anjana Basu, and Sachin Khedekar in lead roles. This film also includes supporting roles played by Sherna ...

'' (2007) * '' Samaantar'' (Marathi) – 2009 * '' ...And Once Again'' – 2010 * ''Dhoosar'' (Marathi) – 2011 (won the Maharashtra State Film Award)

Feature films in other regional languages

* ''Mother'' (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the ...

) (with

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the ...

& Dipankar Dey) * ''Kalankini'' (

) (with

Mamata Shankar Mamata Shankar (born 7 January 1955) is an Indian actress and dancer. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has acted in films by directors including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Gautam Ghos ...

– directed by Dhiren Ganguly) * ''Chena Achena'' (

) (with

Tanuja Tanuja Samarth, known mononymously as Tanuja, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Samarth and producer Kumarsen Samarth, and w ...

Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatterjee (also spelt as Chattopadhyay; 16 June 193515 November 2020) was an Indian film actor, play-director, playwright, writer, thespian and poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of ...

) * '' Kanneshwara Rama'' (

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

) (with Anant Nag &

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

– directed by

M.S. Sathyu Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu ( kn, ಮೈಸೂರು ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಸತ್ಯು) (born 6 July 1930) is a leading film director, stage designer and art director from India. He is best known for his directorial ''Garm Hava'' (1973), w ...

) * ''Paper Boats'' (

& English) (with Deepa – directed by Pattabhirama Reddy) * Olangal (

) (with Poornima Jayaram & Ambika – directed by

Balu Mahendra Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (19 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan-born Indian cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as ...

)

TV serials

* ''

Kachchi Dhoop Kachi, Kacchi, Kachhi or Katchi may refer to: Places in Iran * Kachi, Ardestan, a village in Isfahan Province * Gachi, Fars, a village in Fars Province * Keychi, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province Places in South Asia * Kacchi Plain, an ...

'' – 1987 * ''Naqab'' – 1988 * ''Paoolkhuna'' – 1993 * ''Mrignayanee'' – 1991 * ''

Kareena Kareena Kareena Kareena is a Zee TV comedy serial that aired from 18 October 2004 to 17 October 2005. Numerous celebrities have also made appearances on the show such as Amol Palekar, Abhishek Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, and Rajeev ...

'' – 2004 * ''AA Bail Mujhe Maar'' – 1987 * ''Ek Nayi Ummeed-Roshni'' – 2015

Web Series

*'' Gormint'' * ''

Farzi ''Farzi'' () is an Indian Hindi-language black comedy crime thriller television series created, produced and directed by Raj & DK, who also co-wrote the series with Sita Menon and Suman Kumar. It stars Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, K ...

Awards

Reality television shows

* '' lokesh''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palekar, Amol 1944 births Living people Palekar, Amol Palekar, Amol Indian atheists Hindi-language film directors Male actors in Marathi cinema Marathi film directors Palekar, Amol Palekar, Amol Male actors from Mumbai Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni 20th-century Indian male actors Indian agnostics Male actors from Pune 21st-century Indian film directors Film directors from Mumbai Special Jury Award (feature film) National Film Award winners Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award Filmfare Awards winners