Amol Palekar

Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director, and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is also a painter and an author. Palekar was part of the faction in Hindi cinema that popularised 'middle cinema'. His most popular works include Chhoti Si Baat, Chitchor (1976), Bhumika (1977), Baaton Baaton Mein (1979), and Gol Maal (1979).

Early life and education Palekar was born to Kamlakara and Suhasini Palekar in a Marathi middle-class family in Mumbai. He has three sisters named Neelon, Rekha, and Unnati. His father worked in the General Post Office and his mother worked in a private company.

Acting career Although he trained in fine arts, 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 three Filmfare Awards and six Maharashtra State Film Awards as Best Actor for his works. His performances in regional language films in Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, and Kannada fetched him critical acclaim. 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 national network such as Kachchi Dhoop, Mrignayani, Naquab, Paool Khuna and Krishna Kali.

Theatre career Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey. He 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. Before taking a break, his last performance on stage was at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 1994. On account of the year he turned 75, he returned to theatre after a gap of 25 years with the suspenseful play, Kusur (The Mistake). This play was directed by him and he also played the lead role.

Movie career

Palekar made his debut in 1971 with the Marathi film Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe directed by Satyadev Dubey, which started the New Cinema Movement in Marathi. In 1974, he was cast as an actor by director Basu Chatterjee in Rajnigandha, and in the surprise low-budget hit, Chhoti Si Baat. This led to him getting more roles in "middle-class" comedies, mostly alternative. These were mostly directed by Chatterjee or Hrishikesh Mukherjee and included films such as Gol Maal and Naram Garam. 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 in Gol Maal, his own flat in Gharonda, and a partner Chhoti Si Baat.

In 1979, he was paired with a sixteen-year-old Sridevi in Solva Saawan, which was her debut Hindi movie as the female lead. Amol played the role of an intellectually disabled man, a character played by Kamal Haasan in the original Tamil movie.

In 1982, he played the role of Ravi in the Malayalam movie Olangal. He turned to directing with the Marathi film Aakriet. He forayed into Hindi filmmaking with movies such as Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen 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 movie, however, did not make it to the final nominations.

Palekar has also produced produced his first film Ankahee in 1985. He has produced several independent films since.

He has also given his voice to an HIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAids.

Personal life Palekar regards himself as an agnostic atheist. He married Sandhya Gokhale after his divorce from his first wife, Chitra Palekar. At the age of 80, Palekar released his autobiography, originally written in Marathi and titled Aiwaz; its English version was titled Viewfinder.

Controversies Palekar was a part of the 1981 film Agni Pareeksha. Even after the production of the film was completed, Palekar had not received his dues. He brought up this issue with the film's producer B. R. Chopra. The argument turned into an ugly spat where Chopra threatened Palekar to "kick him out of the industry". Palekar sued Chopra over unfulfilled dues, and won the case.

In 2015, Palekar was appointed as the chairperson for the jury committee to pick India's official entry to the Oscars. He had stated that he faced external pressure to select certain films which he denies obliging to. That year, the Marathi film Court was submitted as India's official entry to the Academy Awards.

Filmography

As an actor

Year Film Role Notes 1969 Bajiraocha Beta Bajirao's son Marathi film 1971 Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe G. M. Ponkshe Marathi film 1974 Rajnigandha Sanjay 1975 Jeevana Jyoti Sanjay Telugu film1976 Chhoti Si Baat Arun Pradeep Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor Chitchor Vinod 1977 Gharaonda Sudip Bhumika Keshav Dalvi Won: Filmfare Special Performance Award Agar... If Anil Aggarwal Taxi Taxie Dev/Hero Tuch Maazi Raani Marathi film Kanneshwara Rama Chenneera Kannada film 1978 Damaad Sharad Mazgaonkar Safed Jhoot Amol 'Ramu' Palekar 1979 Baaton Baaton Mein Tony Braganza Gol Maal Ram Prasad Sharma / Lakshman Prasad Sharma (Lucky) Won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor Do Ladke Dono Kadke Hari Meri Biwi Ki Shaadi Bhagwant Kumar Bartendu "Bhagu" Solva Sawan Mehna's cousin Bin Baap Ka Beta Mother Marathi film Jeena Yahan Dinesh 1980 Aanchal Kishan Lal Apne Paraye Chandranath 1981 Naram Garam Ram Eshwar Prasad Sameera Akriet Mukutrao Shinde Marathi film won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Marathi Kalankini Bengali film Agni Pareeksha Alok Choudhary / Ramesh Khanna Chehre Pe Chehra Peter Plot No. 5 Ajay 1982 Jeevan Dhaara Anand Bhatnagar Olangal Ravi Chattan Malayalam film Ramnagari Spandan Shriman Shrimati Madhu Gupta 1983 Rang Birangi Ajay Sharma Ashray Amit Verma Pyaasi Aankhen Chena Achena Bengali film 1984 Tarang Rahul Aadmi Aur Aurat Tapan Sinha TV movie Prarthana Sringara Masa Kannada film Mr. X Amar Voice dubbed by other artist 1985 Khamosh Amol Palekar Jhoothi Inspector Kamal Nath Ankahee Devkinandan Chaturvedi 'Nandu' Abasheshe Bengali film 1986 Baat Ban Jaye Yeshwant Rao Bhonsle 1994 Teesra Kaun? C. K. Kadam 2001 Aks The Defence Minister 2009 Samaantar Keshav Vaze Marathi film 2021 200 – Halla Ho Justice Vitthal Daangle ZEE5 film 2023 Gulmohar Sudhakar Batra Disney+Hotstarfilm

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 (Kal Kaa Aadmi in Hindi) – 2001 (based on Raghunath Karve'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 (English) – 2006 (won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English) Dumkata (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) (with Sharmila Tagore & Dipankar Dey) Kalankini (Bengali) (with Mamata Shankar – directed by Dhiren Ganguly) Chena Achena (Bengali) (with Tanuja & Soumitra Chatterjee) Kanneshwara Rama (Kannada) (with Anant Nag & Shabana Azmi – directed by M.S. Sathyu) Paper Boats (Kannada & English) (with Deepa – directed by Pattabhirama Reddy) Olangal (Malayalam) (with Poornima Jayaram & Ambika – directed by Balu Mahendra)

TV serials Kachchi Dhoop – 1987 Naqab – 1988 Paoolkhuna – 1993 Mrignayanee – 1991 Kareena Kareena – 2004 AA Bail Mujhe Maar – 1987 Ek Nayi Ummeed-Roshni – 2015

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2023 Farzi Madhav (Nanu)

Awards