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 language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
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 ''Shre ...
.
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
Satyadev Dubey (13 July 1936 – 25 December 2011) was an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter & film director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971.
He won the 1978 National Film Award for Best Scre ...
, 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
![AmolPalekar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/AmolPalekar.jpg)
Palekar made his debut in 1971 with the
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
*
* ...
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.
The ...
'' directed by
Satyadev Dubey
Satyadev Dubey (13 July 1936 – 25 December 2011) was an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter & film director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971.
He won the 1978 National Film Award for Best Scre ...
, 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
''Rajnigandha'' () is a 1974 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee. It is based on the short story "Yahi Sach Hai" by noted Hindi writer Mannu Bhandari.[Chhoti Si Baat
''Chhoti Si Baat'' () is a 1976 Hindi-language romantic comedy coming of age film directed by Basu Chatterjee. Considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky take on pre-hypercongestion ...]
''. 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 was pr ...
'' 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 (''
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 was pr ...
''), his own flat (''
Gharonda
''Gharaonda'' (''The Nest'') is a 1977 Hindi drama film, produced and directed by Bhimsain. The film stars Amol Palekar, Zarina Wahab, Shreeram Lagoo and Jalal Agha. The music is by Jaidev.
Plot
''Gharonda'' explores the lives of Sudip (Amol Pa ...
''), a girlfriend/wife (''
Baaton Baaton Mein
''Baton Baton Mein'' () is a 1979 Indian romantic comedy film, produced and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar and Tina Munim in leading roles. David, Pearl Padamsee, Asrani and Ranjit Choudhary appear in supporting roles ...
''), 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 Female ...
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
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 l ...
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 was des ...
movie ''
Olangal
''Olangal'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Balu Mahendra. The film's plot is inspired from novel '' Man, Woman and Child'' by Erich Segal.
Plot
Life goes on happily for the couple, Ravi (Amol Palekar) and Radha ( Poor ...
''. He turned to directing with the
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
*
* ...
film ''Aakriet''. He showed his capabilities as a
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
with movies such as
Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen and
Paheli
''Paheli'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film. It is a remake of the 1973 Hindi movie ''Duvidha'' by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani. It was also reported to have been partially inspired ...
. ''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
TeachAids (pronounced ) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit social enterprise that develops global health education technology products for HIV/AIDS, concussions, and COVID-19, based on an approach invented through research at Stanford Unive ...
. 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 second- ...
. 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 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 in 1660. ...
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 B ...
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
Agnostic atheism is a philosophical position that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not hold a belief in the existence of any deity, and are agnostic because they claim that the existence ...
.
In February 2022, Palekar was hospitalized in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, 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 ...
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 COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
related complications.
Filmography
As an actor
As a director
* '' Aakreit'' (''Unimaginable'' in Marathi) – 1981
* ''
Ankahee'' (''Unspoken'') – 1985
* ''
Thodasa Rumani Ho Jaye'' – 1990
* ''
Bangarwadi
''Bangarwadi'' ( mr, बनगरवाडी) is a Marathi film directed by Amol Palekar. It is based on an eponymous novel written by Vyankatesh Madgulkar and published in 1955. It is the story of a young school teacher and his experiences in ...
'' – 1995
* ''
Daayraa
''Daayraa'' (translation: ''The Square Circle''; sometimes spelled as ''Daayra'') is a 1996 Bollywood film, directed by Amol Palekar, starring Nirmal Pandey and Sonali Kulkarni. The screenplay was by award-winning journalist and novelist, Timer ...
'' (''The Square Circle'') – 1996
* ''
Anahat'' (''Forever'')
* ''Kairee'' (''Raw mango'') – 2001
* ''
Dhyaas Parva'' (''Kal Kaa Aadmi'' in Hindi) – 2001 (based on
Raghunath Karve's life, won the National Award for Best Film on Family Welfare)
* ''
Paheli
''Paheli'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film. It is a remake of the 1973 Hindi movie ''Duvidha'' by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani. It was also reported to have been partially inspired ...
'' (''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 ever ...
'' (English) – 2006 (won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English is one of the National Film Awards of India presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is one of seve ...
)
* ''
Dumkata'' (2007)
* ''
Samaantar
''Samaantar'' (''Parallel'') is a 2009 Marathi film directed by Amol Palekar and starring Palekar himself along with Sharmila Tagore in the lead roles. This is Sharmila's first Marathi film. Director Amol Palekar's previous film in the dual role ...
'' (Marathi) – 2009
* ''
...And Once Again'' – 2010
* ''Dhoosar'' (Marathi) – 2011 (won the
Maharashtra State Film Award Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963.
Winners 2000
This year's award ceremony took pla ...
)
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 w ...
) (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 Fi ...
&
Dipankar Dey
Dipankar Dey ( bn, দীপঙ্কর দে) (born 5 July 1944) is an Indian actor in the Bengali film industry. He has worked in many movies as hero, villain and character artist.
He starred in Ray's ''Jana Aranya'' (''The Middleman'', 1 ...
)
* ''Kalankini'' (
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 w ...
) (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 Ghosh. I ...
– directed by
Dhiren Ganguly
Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (26 March 1893 – 18 November 1978), better known as Dhiren Ganguly or D.G, was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning and Padma Bhushan recipient film entrepreneur/actor/director of Bengali Cinema. He had set up a number of ...
)
* ''Chena Achena'' (
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 w ...
) (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 was ...
&
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
''Kanneshwara Rama'' ( kn, ಕನ್ನೇಶ್ವರ ರಾಮ; English: ''The Legendary Outlaw'') is a 1977 Kannada-language political film directed by M. S. Sathyu. The film features an ensemble cast including Anant Nag, Shabana Azmi, Amol ...
'' (
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
Dr Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) 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 Eng ...
&
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)
* ''Paper Boats'' (
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 ...
&
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
) (with Deepa – directed by
Pattabhirama Reddy)
*
Olangal
''Olangal'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Balu Mahendra. The film's plot is inspired from novel '' Man, Woman and Child'' by Erich Segal.
Plot
Life goes on happily for the couple, Ravi (Amol Palekar) and Radha ( Poor ...
(
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 was des ...
) (with
Poornima Jayaram
Poornima Bhagyaraj (née Jayaram) is an Indian actress in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has also done a few Hindi and Telugu films. She is best known for her leading roles from 1980 to 1985. She married director K. Bhagyaraj, who directed one ...
&
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...
– 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'' – 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 Khan ...
'' – 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, Kay Kay ...
''
Awards
Reality television shows
* ''
lokesh
Lokesh (; 19 May 1947 – 14 October 2004) was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada plays and films. His wife Girija Lokesh is an actress and film director. His father was Subbaiah Naidu, who is credited to be first hero of Kannada silent mo ...
''
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