Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work 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 ...

and

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 * * ...

films. He is most known for films such as '' Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani'' (1946), ''

Amar Bhoopali ''Amar Bhoopali'' (English: ''The Immortal Song'', French: ''Le Chant Immortel'') 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 ...

'' (1951), ''

Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje ''Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje'' () is a 1955 Indian Hindi-language dance film directed by V. Shantaram. It stars Shantaram's wife Sandhya and dancer Gopi Krishna in lead roles. One of the earlier Technicolor films made in India, the film won the ...

'' (1955), ''

Do Aankhen Barah Haath ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' () is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by V. Shantaram, who also starred. It is considered to be one of the classics of Hindi cinema and is based on humanistic psychology. It won a Silver Bear at the 8 ...

'' (1957), ''

Navrang Navrang is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language film co-written and directed by V. Shantaram. The film is noted for its dance sequences with lead actress Sandhya and music by C. Ramchandra, while playback singer Mahendra Kapoor made his singing debut wi ...

'' (1959), ''

Duniya Na Mane Duniya may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Duniya'' (1968 film), a Hindi romantic thriller * ''Duniya'' (1984 film), a Hindi film * ''Duniya'' (2007 film), an Indian Kannada-language film * ''Duniya'' (album), a 1997 album by Raageshwar ...

'' (1937), ''

Pinjara The Pinjara (Rajasthani: पिंज़ारा (Devanagari) (Perso-Arabic), Kannada: ಪಿಂಜಾರ ) are a community found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. The terms Pinjara, Ma ...

'' (1972), ''Chani'', ''Iye Marathiche Nagari'' and ''Zunj''.

Career

V. Shantaram started his film career doing odd jobs in Maharashtra Film Co. owned by

Baburao Painter Baburao Krishnarao Mestry, popularly known as Baburao Painter (3 June 1890 – 16 January 1954) was an Indian filmmaker and artist. He was a man of many talents with proficiency in painting, sculpture, film production, photography, and mechanic ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

. He went on to debut as an actor in the silent film ''Surekha Haran'' in 1921. Shantaram, fondly known as ''Annasaheb'', had an illustrious career as a filmmaker for almost seven decades. He was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other. V. Shantaram had a very keen interest in music. It is said that he "ghost wrote" music for many of his music directors, and took a very active part in the creation of music. Some of his songs had to rehearsed several times before they were approved by V. Shantaram. He Was Also Praised By

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

for his Marathi film ''

Manoos ''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". ...

''. Chaplin reportedly liked the film to a great extent. He directed his first film ''

Netaji Palkar Netaji Palkar (1620–1681) was a ''Sardar Senapati'' or ''Sarnaubat'' ( Commander-in-Chief) under Chhatrapati Shivaji, founder of the Maratha empire. Family history Netaji Palkar was born in a small village, called Chouk in Khalapur, Maharash ...

'', in 1927. In 1929, he founded the

Prabhat Film Company Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends. It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...

along with

Vishnupant Damle Vishnupant Govind Damle (14 October 1892 – 5 July 1945) was an Indian production designer, cinematographer, film director and sound engineer for Marathi films. His 1937 film ''Sant Tukaram'' was the first Indian film to be screened at an inter ...

, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni, which made ''

Ayodhyecha Raja ''Ayodhyecha Raja'', literally "The King of Ayodhya", was the first Marathi talkie, released in 1932, directed by Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre. It is based on the mythological story of Raja Harishchandra of Ayodhya and his test by sage Vishwamitr ...

'', the first

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

film in 1932 under his direction. He left Prabhat co. in 1942 to form "

Rajkamal Kalamandir Rajkamal Kalamandir was a noted film production company and studio in Mumbai. It was established by V. Shantaram in 1942, after he left Prabhat Films. The studio produced films both in Hindi and Marathi, and it was best known for '' Dr. Kotnis Ki Am ...

" 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- ...

. In time, "Rajkamal" became one of the most sophisticated studios of the country. Shantaram introduced his daughter

Rajshree Rajashree Shantaram (born 8 October 1944), known as Rajshree, is an Indian actress of Bollywood. She is best known for her work in the movies '' Janwar'' and '' Brahmachari''. Personal life Rajshree is the daughter of acclaimed Indian filmmak ...

(his daughter with Jayashree) and

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early life ...

in the 1964 film ''

Geet Gaya Patharon Ne ''Geet Gaya Patharon Ne'' () is a 1964 Hindi-language drama film, produced and directed by V. Shantaram on V. Shantaram Productions banner. Starring Jeetendra, Rajshree which were first marked debut to both of them and music is composed by Ram ...

''. That was the debut film for both of them. He also introduced his second wife Sandhya's niece

Ranjana Deshmukh Ranjana Deshmukh (1955 – March 3, 2000) was a popular Marathi language, Marathi actress in 1970s & '80s, famous on-screen as just Ranjana. Life and career She is the daughter of Vatsala Deshmukh. Her aunt, Sandhya was married to V. Sha ...

into the Marathi film industry through ''Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jaali'', directed by his son Kiran Shantaram in 1975. Ranjana dominated the Marathi silver screen in the 70s and 80s. The

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadca ...

was conferred on him in 1985.17th Awardee
Dada Saheb Phalke Awards, List of Awardees. He was posthumously awarded the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

in 1992. His autobiography ''Shantarama'' was published in Hindi and Marathi. V Shantaram 2001 stamp of India

The V. Shantaram Award was constituted by Central Government and Maharashtra State Government. The V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, established in 1993, offers various awards to film-makers. The award is presented annually on 18 November. A postage stamp dedicated to Shantaram was released by

India Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...

on 17 November 2001.

Personal life

Shantaram was born in 1901 at

to a Marathi family with a Jain Kasar father and Hindu mother. In 1921, aged 20, he married 12-year-old Vimalabai in a match arranged by their families. He had four children with Vimalabai, Prabhat Kumar (after whom Shantaram named his movie company) and daughters Saroj, Madhura and Charusheela. Saroj, the eldest daughter, is married to Soli Engineer, a Parsi gentleman, and they run the Valley View Grand Resort at

Panhala Panhala (Pronunciation: ənʱaːɭa is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council (3177 feet above sea level) 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharash ...

near

, built on Shantaram's farmhouse, which was inherited by Saroj. Shantaram's second daughter, Madhura, is the wife of

Pandit Jasraj Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930 – 17 August 2020) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the '' Mewati gharana'' (musical apprenticeship lineage). His musical career spanned 75 years resulting in national and international fame ...

and mother of music director Shaarang Dev Pandit and of TV personality

Durga Jasraj Durga Jasraj (born 12 September 1966) is an Indian original content producer, actor and Hindustani classical singer. She focuses on creating indigenous content in formats for multiple media, viz. Live, Television, Online, Mobile VAS, Radio, CD ...

. Shantaram's third daughter, Charusheela, is the mother of Hindi and Marathi actor Sushant Ray a.k.a.

Siddharth Ray Siddharth Ray (19 July 1963– 8 March 2004), born Sushant Ray, was a film actor in Hindi and Marathi films. He also appeared in a few south Indian films. He was the grandson of filmmaker V. Shantaram. Personal life Siddharth Ray was born in ...

. In 1941, Shantaram married the actress Jayashree (née Kamulkar), with whom he had worked together in several films, including ''Shakuntala'' (1942). He had three children with Jayashree: a son, the Marathi film director and producer

Kiran Shantaram Kiran Shantaram (born 1942) is an Indian film personality and former Sheriff of Mumbai. He is the son of V. Shantaram and Jayashree. He is chairman of V. Shantaram foundation and head of Asian Film Foundation. He is also the chairman of Prabhat ...

, and two daughters, the actress

and Tejashree. In 1956, just before the law was changed to prohibit polygamy for Hindus (but not for Muslims), Shantaram married another of his leading ladies, the actress Sandhya (née Vijaya Deshmukh), who had already starred in his films ''

'' and ''Parchaiyan'' and would go on to star in many of his future films like ''

,'' ''

,'' ''Navrang,'' ''

Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli '' Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli'' () is a 1971 Bollywood romance film directed by V. Shantaram, with Sandhya and Abhijeet as leads, along with Vatsala Deshmukh and Dina Pathak. This was the first Indian film for which all songs were recor ...

'' and ''Sehra.'' They did not have any children together, but Sandhya bonded strongly with Vimalabai and her children, and she lives with them as a respected mother. Shantaram died on 30 October 1990 in

.Biography
American Film Institute. He was survived by his three wives and his seven children. Vimalabai died in 1996 after being bedridden for four years. Jayashree died peacefully in her sleep in 2003. Shantaram used to live at

near

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

state. His daughter Saroj has maintained his house and has converted the rest of the property into a hotel named Valley View Grand.

V. Shantaram worked in railway workshop Hubballi, Karnataka State

V. Shantaram's family moved from Kholapur to Hubbbali also known as

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

in 1917 facing tough time financially. Shantaram a teenager then joined as a fitter in the railway workshop at Hubballi, for a salary of 8 annas (50 paise) per day, impressed by his hard work his salary was raised to 12 annas per day. In the evenings he worked as a door keeper at NEW Deccan Cinema Theatre at Hubballi. Though he was not paid for this job, he was allowed to watch all movies free. There he watched movies of

Dadasaheb Phalke Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of In ...

, father of Indian Cinema, and developed passion for the movies. He learnt photography and sign board painting in Hubballi. He said later that the first time he touched camera he instantly connected to it.

Filmography

As actor

Surekha Haran Surekha may refer to: * Surekha (artist), Indian video artist * Surekha (actress) Surekha Marie – was an Indian actress. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1980s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. Her debut role in ...

" (1921) * ''Sinhagad'' (1923) * '' Savkari Pash'' (1925) * ''Stri'' (1961) * ''

Parchhain ''Parchhain'' (Shadow) is a 1952 Hindi romantic melodrama film directed by V. Shantaram. The production company was Rajkamal Kalamandir. The story and dialogue were by Shams Lakhnavi, with cinematography by G. Balakrishna. Music direction was by ...

'' (1952) * ''

Do Ankhen Barah Haath ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' () is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by V. Shantaram, who also starred. It is considered to be one of the classics of Hindi cinema and is based on humanistic psychology. It won a Silver Bear at the 8 ...

'' (1957)

As producer

* ''Bhakticha Mala'' (1944) * ''Maali'' (1944) * ''Banwasi'' (1948) * ''Sehra'' (1963) * ''

'' (1964) * '' Vanvaas '' (1967) * ''

Ladki Sahyadri Ki ''Ladki Sahyadri Ki'' (Girl From Sahyadri) is a 1966 Hindi social drama film directed by V. Shantaram. Also called ''Iye Marathichiye Nagari'' (The Land of Maharashtra) in Marathi, it was a bilingual for V. Shantaram productions under the Rajkama ...

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1971) * ''Raja Rani Ko Chahiye Pasina'' (1978) * ''

Jhanjhaar ''Jhanjhaar'' (Fire) is a 1987 Hindi social drama film directed by V. Shantaram. Made under Rajkamal Kalamandir banner it was a V. Shantaram Productions film. It had music by Kalyanji Anandji. The film starred Siddharth Ray, Sushant Ray (Shantara ...

'' (1987)

As director

Maharashtra Film Company Maharashtra Film Company was an Indian film production company, established by Baburao Painter in Kolhapur. Established in 1918, it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu M ...

* ''Netaji Palkar'' (1927)

Prabhat Film Company Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends. It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...

* ''Gopal Krishna'' (1929) * ''

Udaykal ''Udaykal'' (Thunder Of The Hills) is a 1930 historical silent film co-directed by V. Shantaram and Keshavrao Dhaiber. It was produced by Prabhat Film Company. The story was written by Baburao Pendharkar. The cinematographers were S. Fattelal a ...

'' (1930) * ''Rani Saheba'' (1930) * '' Khooni Khanjar'' (1930) * ''Chandrasena'' (1931) * ''Maya Machindra'' (1932) * ''Agnikankan'' (1932) * ''

'' (1932) * ''Sinhagad'' (1933) * ''Sairandhri'' (1933) * ''Amrit Manthan'' (1934) * ''Dharmatma'' (1935) * ''Chandrasena'' (1935) * ''

Amar Jyoti ''Amar Jyoti'' (Eternal Flame) is a List of Bollywood films of 1936, 1936 Hindi social, action adventure, drama film directed by V. Shantaram. Produced by Prabhat Film Company and cited as a "noteworthy" film along with Shantaram's earlier ''Am ...

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

Kunku ''Kunku'' (Marathi title) 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 relea ...

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1939) * ''Aadmi'' (1939) * ''Padosi'' (1941)

Rajkamal Kalamandir Rajkamal Kalamandir was a noted film production company and studio in Mumbai. It was established by V. Shantaram in 1942, after he left Prabhat Films. The studio produced films both in Hindi and Marathi, and it was best known for '' Dr. Kotnis Ki Am ...

* ''Shakuntala'' (1943) * ''Bhagawan Das Patel'' (1997) * '' Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani'' (1946) * ''

Lokshahir Ram Joshi ''Lokshahir Ram Joshi'' (People's Poet Ram Joshi) also called ''Matawala Shair Ram Joshi'' in Hindi, is a 1947 Marathi language, Marathi biopic film of the poet Ram Jagannath Joshi, Ram Joshi, written by G. D. Madgulkar, directed by Baburao Paint ...

'' (1947) * ''Apna Desh'' (1949) * ''Dahej'' (1950) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

Teen Batti Char Raasta ''Teen Batti Char Raasta'' () is a 1953 Hindi-language comedy drama film on national integration directed by V. Shantaram. The film was made under the Rajkamal Kalamandir banner and produced by Shantaram. The story and dialogue were by Diwan Sh ...

'' (1953) * '' Surang'' (1953) * ''

Subah Ka Tara ''Subah Ka Tara'' (The Morning Star) is a 1954 Hindi social romantic film directed by V. Shantaram. The film was produced by Rajkamal Kalamandir and had story and dialogues by Shams Lucknavi. The director of photography was G. Balkrishna. It had ...

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1959) * ''Stree'' (1961) * ''Sehra'' (1963) * ''

'' (1964) * ''

'' (1966) * ''

Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti ''Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti'' () is a 1967 Hindi-language drama film, produced & directed by V. Shantaram under Rajkamal Kalamandir banner. The film starred Jeetendra, Mumtaz, Akashdeep, Vaishali in lead roles and music composed by Satish Bhatia. ...

'' (1967) * ''

'' (1971) * ''Pinjra'' (1973) * ''

'' (1987) Source: IMDB

Awards and recognition

Recognition

* 2017 – on 18 November 2017,

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

honored Shantaram on his 116th Birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

on their Indian front page.V. Shantaram Google Doodle , Biography of V. Shantaram
YouTube (17 November 2017). Retrieved on 2018-11-20. * 1952 – ''

'' (''The Immortal Song'') competed at the

1952 Cannes Film Festival The 5th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1952. As in the previous three festivals, the entire jury of this festival was made up of French persons, with Maurice Genevoix as the Jury President. The Grand Prix of the Festival w ...

Awards

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

– All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film – ''

'' * 1955 – President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje'' *

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

– President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film – ''

'' * 1957 – President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' * 1957 –

Filmfare Award for Best Director The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year. Superlatives Bimal Roy has the r ...

– ''

'' * 1958 –

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, OCIC Award: ''

''Awards for Do Aankhen Barah Haath
''

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

''. * 1958 –

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

(Special Prize): ''

'' * 1985 –

* 1992 –

(posthumous)

Nominated

* 1959 – Golden Globe Awards, Samuel Goldwyn Award – ''

(Won)''

References

Biographies

* Shantaram, Kiran & Narwekar, Sanjit; ''V Shantaram: The Legacy of the Royal Lotus'', 2003, Rupa & Co., . * Banerjee, Shampa; ''Profiles, five film-makers from India: V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak'' Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Development Corp, 1985.

External links

*
'Well ahead of his times', Article on V.Shantaram in ''The Hindu'' dated 30 November 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shantaram, V. 1901 births 1990 deaths Indian male film actors Hindi-language film directors Marathi film directors Marathi cinema Film producers from Maharashtra Indian male screenwriters People from Kolhapur Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts 20th-century Indian male actors Shantaram family 20th-century Indian film directors Film directors from Maharashtra Indian silent film directors Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award 20th-century Indian screenwriters