Lalita Pawar

Lalita Pawar
Lalita Pawar (1916—1998).jpg Lalita Pawar (1916—1998).jpg
Born	Amba Laxman Rao Sagun (1916-04-18)18 April 1916 Yeola, Nashik, Bombay Presidency, British India
💀Died	24 February 1998(1998-02-24) (aged 81) Pune, Maharashtra, India24 February 1998(1998-02-24) (aged 81)
💼 Occupation
📆 Years active	1928–1997
👶 Children	1
🏅 Awards	1959: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in Anari 1961: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - Acting

Lalita Pawar (18 April 1916 – 24 February 1998) was a prolific Indian actress, who later became famous as a character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati cinema. She featured in hit films such as Netaji Palkar (1938), made by Bhalji Pendharkar, 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 (1959), Shri 420 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 in 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 (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 decades.

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, playing the lead in film, Himmat-e-Marda (1935).

In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie Jung-E-Azadi, actor Master Bhagwan 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 figures, especially wicked matriarchs or mothers-in-law. She also notably played the strict but kind Mrs. L. D'Sa in Anari (1959) with Raj Kapoor. Under Hrishikesh Mukherjee's direction, she gave the performance of a lifetime, for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. And as the tough matriarch who falls in love in Professor (1962), and the devious hunchback Manthara in Ramanand Sagar'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 died on 24 February 1998 in Aundh, Pune, where she had been staying for a while.

Selected filmography

Year	Film	Character
1944	Ram Shastri	Anandi Bai (wife of Peshava Raghoba Dada)
1950	Dahej	Mrs. Biharilal (Suraj's mother)
1951	The Immortal Song	Vitabai
1952	Daag (1952 film)	Shankar(Dilip Kumar)'s Mother
1952	Parchhain	Badi Rani
1955	Shri 420	Ganga Mai
1955	Mr & Mrs 55	Seeta Devi, Anita's Aunt
1957	Nau Do Gyarah
1959	Anari	Mrs. L. D'Sa
1959	Sujata	Giribala, Buaji/aunt
1960	Jhumroo	Jhumroo Mother
1961	Junglee (1961 Film By Subodh Mukherjee)	Shekhar's mother
1961	Hum Dono	Major's Mother
1961	Sampoorna Ramayana	Manthara
1962	Professor	Sita Devi Verma
1963	Sehra	Angara's mother
1963	Grahasti	Harish Khanna's sister
1963	Ghar Basake Dekho	Mrs. Shanta Mehra
1966	Phool Aur Patthar	Mrs. Jeevan Ram
1966	Khandan	Fufi
1967	Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti	Shefali's mother
1967	Noor Jehan
1968	Aabroo	Mrs. Verma
1969	Meri Bhabhi	Gangajali
1970	Anand	Matron
1970	Pushpanjali	Rani Sahiba
1970	Gopi	Lilawati devi
1971	Jwala
1974	Doosri Sita
1976	Aaj Ka Ye Ghar	Mrs. Shanti Dinanath
1976	Tapasya	Mrs. Varma
1977	Aaina	Janki
1979	Manzil	Mrs. Chandra (Ajay's mother)
1980	Yaarana (1981 film)	mother
1980	Kali Ghata	Ambu, House keeper
1980	Phir Wohi Raat	Hostel Warden
1980	Sau Din Saas Ke	Bhavani Devi (Prakash's mother)
1981	Naseeb (1981 film)	Mrs. Gomes
1986	Ghar Sansar	Satyanarayan's mother
1987	Watan Ke Rakhwale	Radha's Maternal Grandma
1997	Bhai
1989	Bahurani
1988	Pyasi Aatma (1998 film)
1988	Zalzala	Shila's mom
1987	Uttar Dakshin

Television

Year	Show	Role	Channel	References
1987	Ramayan	Manthara	DD National

Awards

• 1959: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in Anari (1959)
• 1961: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - Acting

External links

• Lalita Pawar on IMDb
• Tribute to Laita Pawar at Screen.
• Living the Role- Lalita Pawar The Hindu
• Interview with Lalita Pawar in her last days cineplot.com

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