Lalita Pawar (18 April 1916 – 24 February 1998) was a prolific
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n actress, who later became famous as a
character actress
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...
, appearing in over 700 films in
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 ...
,
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
*
* ...
and
Gujarati cinema. She holds a
Guinness world record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
of longest acting career spanning over 70 years. Pawar is the awardee of a
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 ...
for
best supporting actress for
Anari Anari may refer to:
Films
* ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
* ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee
* ''Anari'' (1 ...
. She featured in hit films such as ''Netaji Palkar'' (1938), made by
Bhalji Pendharkar
Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was a film personality in India, and recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field.
Early life and family
Born to Radhabai and her husband Dr Gopal Pendharkar i ...
, New Hana Pictures' ''Sant Damaji'', Navyug Chitrapat's ''Amrit'', written by VS Khandekar, and Chhaya Films' ''Gora Kumbhar''. Her other memorable roles were in the films ''
Anari Anari may refer to:
Films
* ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
* ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee
* ''Anari'' (1 ...
'' (1959), ''
Shri 420
''Shree 420'' (also spelled as ''Shri 420''; ) is a 1955 Indian Hindi comedy-drama film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor from a story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. ...
'' and ''
Mr & Mrs 55'', and the role of
Manthara, in Ramanand Sagar's television epic serial ''
Ramayan''.
Biography
Pawar was born as Amba Laxman Rao Sagun on 18 April 1916, into an orthodox family in
Yeola
Yeola (Marathi pronunciation: eːʋlaː () is a town, a municipal council, and a taluka headquarters in Nashik District in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Demographics
India census, Yeola had a population of 43,205. Males constitute 52% of ...
in
Nashik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...
. Her father Laxman Rao Shagun was a rich silk and cotton piecegoods merchant. She started her acting career at age nine in the film ''
Raja Harishchandra
''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhal ...
'' (1928), and later went on to play lead roles in the silent era and 1940s films, in a career that lasted until the end of her life, spanning seven
decade
A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years.
Usage
Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "du ...
s.
She co-produced and acted in a silent film ''Kailash'' (1932), and later produced another film ''Duniya Kya Hai'' in 1938, a talkie.
![Lalita Pawar in film, Himmat-e-Marda (1935)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Lalita_Pawar_in_film%2C_Himmat-e-Marda_%281935%29.jpg)
In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie ''Jung-E-Azadi'', actor
Master Bhagwan
Bhagwan Dada (1 August 1913 – 4 February 2002), also credited and mononymously known as Bhagwan, was an Indian actor and film director who worked in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his social film '' Albela'' (1951) and the song "Shola J ...
was to slap her hard. Being a new actor, he accidentally slapped her very hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left eye vein. Three years of treatment later, she was left with a defective left eye; thus she had to abandon lead roles, and switch to character roles, which won her much of her fame later in life.
She was known particularly for playing
maternal
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...
figures, especially wicked
matriarch
Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
While those definitions apply in general En ...
s or
mothers-in-law. She also notably played the strict but kind Mrs. L. D'Sa in ''
Anari Anari may refer to:
Films
* ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
* ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee
* ''Anari'' (1 ...
'' (1959) with
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
. Under
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 ca ...
's direction, she gave the performance of a lifetime, for which she received the
Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmfar ...
. And as the tough matriarch who falls in love in ''
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
'' (1962), and the devious hunchback
Manthara in
Ramanand Sagar
Chandramauli Chopra ( ; 29 December 1917 – 12 December 2005) known professionally as Ramanand Sagar, was an Indian filmmaker, editor, playwright, poet and an author. He is best known for making the television show '' Ramayan'' (1987-1988). The ...
's television series ''
Ramayan''. She was honored by the Government of India as the first lady of Indian cinema in 1961.
Personal life
Her first marriage was to Ganpatrao Pawar, which went sour after his affair with her younger sister. She later married film producer Rajprakash Gupta, of Ambika studios, Bombay. She continued to live with her grandson Sanjay Pawar and her husband in Juhu. Her son Jai Pawar continued to become a producer and worked with her in movies like Manzil. Her son Jai Pawar had 2 sons Sanjay Pawar and Manoj Pawar. They both continue to live in Mumbai as her great- daughter Aanya Pawar. She died on 24 February 1998 in Aundh,
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 ...
, where she had been staying for a while.
Selected filmography
Television
Awards
* 1960:
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmf ...
- ''
Anari Anari may refer to:
Films
* ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
* ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee
* ''Anari'' (1 ...
''
* 1961:
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
- Acting
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - Acting
Official listing at ''Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
'' Official website.
References
External links
*
*
Tribute to Laita Pawar
at Screen
Screen or Screens may refer to:
Arts
* Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing
* Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry
* Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
Living the Role- Lalita Pawar
The Hindu
Interview with Lalita Pawar in her last days
cineplot.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pawar, Lalita
1916 births
1998 deaths
People from Nashik
Indian film actresses
Indian silent film actresses
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Indian television actresses
Filmfare Awards winners
Actresses in Marathi cinema
Actresses in Gujarati cinema
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
20th-century Indian actresses