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Smita Patil

Film actress
Smita Patil was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 80 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. Wikipedia
Born: October 17, 1955, Pune
Died: December 13, 1986, Mumbai
Spouse: Raj Babbar (m. ?–1986)
Children: Prateik Babbar
Parents: Shivajirao Patil, Vidyatai Patil
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Smita Patil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Born	October 17, 1955 Pune, India^[1]^[2]
Died	December 13, 1986(aged 31) Mumbai
Cause of death	Childbirth complications
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress, Television newscaster
Years active	1974–1985
Notable work(s)	Manthan (1977), Bhumika (1977), Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981), Chidambaram (1985), Mirch Masala (1985)
Spouse(s)	Raj Babbar
Children	Prateik Babbar (son)
Parents	Shivajirao Girdhar Patil Vidyatai Patil

Smita Patil (17 October 1955^[1] – 13 December 1986^[3]^[4]) was an Indianactress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times,^[5] Patil appeared in over 80 ^[2] Hindi and Marathifilms in a career that spanned just over a decade.^[6] During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. She was the recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1985.

Patil graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's^[7] Charandas Chor^[8] (1975). She became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, a New Wave movement in India cinema, though she also appeared in several mainstream movies throughout her career.^[9] Her performances were often acclaimed, and her most notable roles include Manthan^[1]^[8] (1977), Bhumika^[1] (1977),^[8]Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981), Chidambaram (1985) and Mirch Masala^[10](1985).^[1]^[9]

Apart from acting, Patil was an active feminist (in a distinctly Indian context) and a member of the Women's Centre in Mumbai. She was deeply committed to the advancement of women's issues, and gave her endorsement to films which sought to explore the role of women in traditional Indian society, their sexuality, and the changes facing the middle-class woman in an urban milieu.^[11]

Patil was married to actor Raj Babbar. She died on 13 December 1986 at the age of 31 due to childbirth complications. Over ten of her films were released after her death. Her son Prateik Babbar is a film actor who made his debut in 2008.

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Early life[edit]

Smita Patil was born in Pune^[12] into a Kunbi Maratha family to a Maharashtrian politician, Shivajirao Girdhar Patil and social worker mother Vidyatai Patil, from Shirpur town (Village-Bhatpure) of Khandesh province of Maharashtra State. She studied at Renuka Swaroop Memorial high school in Pune.

Her first tryst with the camera was in the 1970s as a television newscaster for Doordarshan, the Indian government owned television service.^[13]

Career[edit]

Smita Patil belongs to a generation of actresses, including Shabana Azmi and, like her, who are strongly associated with the radically political cinema of the 1970s. Her work includes films with parallel cinema directors like Shyam Benegal,^[8] Govind Nihalani, Satyajit Ray (Sadgati 1981)^[4] and Mrinal Sen as well as forays into the more commercial Hindi film industrycinema of Mumbai. Patil was working as a TV news reader and was also an accomplished photographer when Shyam Benegal discovered her.^[14]

She was an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. In 1977, she won the National Award for 'Best Actress' for her performance in the Hindi film Bhumika.^[10] In her films, Patil's character often represents an intelligent femininity that stands in relief against the conventional background of male-dominated cinema (films like Bhumika,Umbartha, and Bazaar). Smita Patil was a women's rights activist and became famous for her roles in films that portrayed women as capable and empowered.

"I remained committed to small cinema for about five years ... I refused all commercial offers. Around 1977-78, the small cinema movement started picking up and they needed names. I was unceremoniously dropped from a couple of projects. This was a very subtle thing but it affected me a lot. I told myself that here I am and I have not bothered to make money. I have turned down big, commercial offers because of my commitment to small cinema and what have I got in return? If they want names I'll make a name for myself. So I started and took whatever came my way."

Smita Patil as Sonbai in Mirch Masala, her last film role.

In time she was accepted by commercial filmmakers and from Raj Khosla andRamesh Sippy to B.R. Chopra, they all agreed that she was "excellent." Her fans, too, grew with her new-found stardom. Patil's glamorous roles in her more commercial films — such as Shakti and Namak Halaal — revealed the permeable boundaries between "serious" cinema and "Hindi cinema" masala in the Hindi film industry. In 1984, she served as a jury member of the Montreal World Film Festival.^[15]

Her association with artistic cinema remained strong, however. Her arguably greatest (and unfortunately final) role came when Smita re-teamed with Ketan Mehta to play the feisty and fiery Sonbai in Mirch Masala (1987). Smita won raves for playing a spirited spice-factory worker who stands up against a lecherous petty official.

According to film expert Rajesh Subramanian,during the making of Chakra, Smita Patil visited slums in Bombay as part of her research and it culminated in another National Award.

Personal life[edit]

When she became romantically involved with actor Raj Babbar,^[16] Patil drew severe criticism from her fans and the media, clouding her personal life and throwing her into the eye of a media storm. Raj Babbar left his wife Nadira Babbar to marry Patil.^[17]

Overnight, Patil was labeled a "home-breaker" by the very feminist organizations she had worked so assiduously for and became the target of barbed criticism.^[18]

Death and legacy[edit]

Smita died from childbirth complications on 13 December 1986,^[4] age 31, barely two weeks after having given birth to her son, Prateik Babbar.^[19]

Nearly two decades later, one of India's greatest film directors, Mrinal Sen alleged that Smita Patil had died due to gross medical negligence.^[20]

In 2011, Rediff.com listed her as the second-greatest actress of all time, behind Nargis.^[21] According to Suresh Kohli fromDeccan Herald, "Smita Patil was, perhaps, the most accomplished actress of Hindi cinema. Her oeuvre is outstanding, investing almost every portrayal with a powerhouse realistic performance."^[22]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award	Film	Character	Year	Result	Notes
National Film Award for Best Actress	Bhumika	Usha/Urvashi Dalvi	1977	Won
National Film Award for Best Actress	Chakra	Amma	1980	Won
Filmfare Award for Best Actress	Jait Re Jait	Chindhi	1978	Won	Marathi film
	Bhumika	Usha/Urvashi Dalvi	1978	Nominated
	Umbartha	Sulabha Mahajan	1981	Won	Marathi film
	Chakra	Amma	1982	Won
	Bazaar	Najma	1983	Nominated
	Aaj Ki Aawaz	Rajni Deshmukh	1985	Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress	Arth	Kavita Sanyal	1984	Nominated
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress	Mandi	Zeenat	1984	Nominated
Padma Shri Award, Civilian Award by Government of India			1985

Filmography[edit]

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1974	Mere Saath Chal	Geeta
1974	Samna^[3]^[23]	Kamley	Marathi film
1975	Nishant (Night's End)	Rukumani^[8]
1975	Charandas Chor	Rajkumari (Princess)
1976	Manthan^[3]	Bindu
1977	Bhumika^[3]^[24]	Usha/Urvashi Dalvi	Winner, National Film Award for Best Actress Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
1977	Jait Re Jait^[23]	Chindhi	Marathi Film,Winner, 25th National Film Awards (April 1978) President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Marathi.
1977	Saal Solvan Chadya	Pinky	Punjabi film
1978	Kondura /Anugraham	Parvati	Hindi / Telugu film
1978	Gaman	Khairun Hussain
1978	Sarvasakshi	Sujatha	Marathi Film
1980	Bhavani Bhavai^[1]	Ujaan	Gujarati (Hindi dubbed) film
1980	Aakrosh	Nagi Lahanya
1980	Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai	Joan
1980	The Naxalites	Ajitha
1980	Anveshane	Revati^[25]	Kannada film
1981	Chakra	Amma	Double Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award National Film Award for Best Actress
1981	Sadgati	Jhuria	TV
1981	Tajurba
1982	Bazaar	Najma	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
1982	Shakti	Roma Devi
1982	Namak Halaal	Poonam
1982	Umbartha^[1]^[3]	Sulabha Mahajan	Marathi Film, Dubbed as Subah in Hindi Winner, Marathi Rajya Chitrapat Puraskar for Best Actress
1982	Sitam	Meenakshi
1982	Dard Ka Rishta	Dr. Anuradha
1982	Bheegi Palkein	Shanti
1982	Badle Ki Aag	Bijli
1982	Dil-E-Nadaan	Sheela
1982	Arth	Kavita Sanyal	Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
1983	Mandi	Zeenat^[8]	Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
1983	Ghungroo	Kesarbai
1983	Ardh Satya^[3]^[24]	Jyotsna Gokhale
1983	Qayamat	Shashi
1983	Haadsa	Asha
1983	Chatpati
1984	Aaj Ki Aawaz	Rajni Deshmukh	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
1984	Raavan	Ganga
1984	Pet Pyaar Aur Paap
1984	Meraa Dost Meraa Dushman	Lali
1984	Tarang^[3]	Janki
1984	Shapath	Shanti
1984	Kanoon Meri Mutthi Mein
1984	Giddh: The Vulture	Hanumi
1984	Anand Aur Anand	Kiran
1984	Farishta	Kashibai
1984	Hum Do Hamare Do
1984	Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki	Aarti
1985	Chidambaram^[3]	Shivagami	Malayalam film
1985	Ghulami	Sumitra Sultan Singh
1985	Debshishu	Seeta	Bengali film ^[26]
1985	Aakhir Kyon?	Nisha
1985	Meraa Ghar Mere Bachche	Geeta Bhargav
1985	Jawaab	Rajni / Radha Gupta / Fredi Martis / Salma Hussain
1986	Aap Ke Saath	Ganga
1986	Amrit	Kamla Shrivastav
1986	Dilwaala	Sumitra Devi
1986	Dehleez	Deepa
1986	Angaarey	Arti Varma
1986	Kaanch Ki Deewar	Nisha
1986	Anokha Rishta	Dr. Pramila
1986	Teesra Kinara
1987	Mirch Masala	Sonbai
1987	Dance Dance	Radha
1987	Thikana	Shashi Goel
1987	Sutradhar	Prerna
1987	Insaniyat Ke Dushman	Lakshmi Nath
1987	Ahsaan
1987	Raahee	Rano/Sandhya
1987	Nazrana	Mukta
1987	Avam	Dr. Shabnam
1987	Sher Shivaji
1988	Waaris	Paramjit
1988	Hum Farishte Nahin	Roma
1988	Akarshan	-	Special Appearance
1989	Galiyon Ke Badshah	Tulsi

Government recognition[edit]

On the occasion of 100 years of the Indian cinema, a postage stamp bearing her face was released by India Post to honour her on 3 May 2013.

References[edit]

^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Subodh Kapoor (1 July 2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia: Biographical, Historical, Religious, Administrative, Ethnological, Commercial and Scientific. Indo-Pak War-Kamla Karri. Cosmo Publication. pp. 6699–. ISBN 978-81-7755-257-7. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b D. Sharma (1 January 2004). Mass Communication : Theory & Practice In The 21St Century. Deep & Deep Publications. pp. 298–. ISBN 978-81-7629-507-9. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Annette Kuhn (1990). The Women's Companion to International Film. University of California Press. pp. 310–.ISBN 978-0-520-08879-5. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c Andrew Robinson (1989). Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye. University of California Press. pp. 258–. ISBN 978-0-520-06946-6. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
Jump up^ "A blazing talent remembered". The Hindu. Dec 20, 2002.
Jump up^ Gulzar; Nihalani, Govind; Chatterji, Saibal (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. p. 601. ISBN 81-7991-066-0.
Jump up^ Si. Vi Subbārāvu (2007). Hyderabad: the social context of industrialisation, 1875-1948. Orient Blackswan. pp. 82–. ISBN 978-81-250-1608-3. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f William van der Heide (12 June 2006). Bollywood Babylon: Interviews with Shyam Benegal. Berg. pp. 208–.ISBN 978-1-84520-405-1. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Lahiri, Monojit (2002-12-20). "A blazing talent remembered". The Hindu. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Hena Naqvi (1 January 2007). Journalism And Mass Communication. Upkar Prakashan. pp. 202–. ISBN 978-81-7482-108-9. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
Jump up^ [1] "Reminiscing About Smita Patil"
Jump up^ http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Cinema/Smita.html
Jump up^ Gulazāra; Govind Nihalani; Saibal Chatterjee (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema: An Enchanting Close-Up of India's Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. pp. 625–. ISBN 978-81-7991-066-5. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
Jump up^ "Indian Cinema - Smita Patil", SSCnet UCLA
Jump up^ "Awards of the Montreal World Film Festival - 1984". Montreal World Film Festival. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
Jump up^ "'She was a great human being'". Rediff.com. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 27 Dec 2011.
Jump up^ "'25 years on, a phenomenon named Smita Patil '". ibnlive.in.com. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 27 Dec 2011.
Jump up^ "'A blazing talent remembered'". hindu.com. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 20 Dec 2002.
Jump up^ Ram Awatar Agnihotri (1998). Film stars in Indian politics. Commonwealth Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7169-506-5. Retrieved29 December 2012.
Jump up^ "Memories from Mrinal da", Rediff.com, 2 February 2005.
Jump up^ Sen, Raja (2011-06-29). "Readers Choice: The Greatest Actresses of all time". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
Jump up^ Kohli, Suresh (2011-09-22). "Immortal performances". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Marathi Cinema Database
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Anwar Huda (1 January 2004). Art And Science Of Cinema. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 52–. ISBN 978-81-269-0348-1. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
Jump up^ Anveshane Movie Plot
Jump up^ Debashishu