Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar 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, Bhumika, Baaton Baaton Mein, and Gol Maal.
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. Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he has had seven solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows.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. 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.In February 2022, Palekar was hospitalized in Pune for COVID-19 related complications. 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 nominated as an Oscar entry.
Filmography
As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | Bajiraocha Beta | Marathi film | |
| 1971 | Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe | Marathi film | |
| 1974 | Rajnigandha | Sanjay | |
| 1975 | Jeevana Jyoti | Sanjay | Telugu film |
| 1975 | Chhoti Si Baat | Arun Pradeep | Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor |
| 1976 | Chitchor | Vinod | |
| 1977 | Gharaonda | Sudip | |
| 1977 | Bhumika | Keshav Dalvi | Won: Filmfare Special Performance Award |
| 1977 | Agar... If | Anil Aggarwal | |
| 1977 | Taxi Taxie | Dev/Hero | |
| 1977 | Tuch Maazi Raani | Marathi film | |
| 1977 | Kanneshwara Rama | Chenneera | Kannada film |
| 1978 | Damaad | Sharad Mazgaonkar | |
| 1978 | Safed Jhoot | Amol 'Ramu' Palekar | |
| 1979 | Baaton Baaton Mein | Tony Braganza | |
| 1979 | Gol Maal | Ram Prasad Sharma / Lakshman Prasad Sharma | Won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor |
| 1979 | Do Ladke Dono Kadke | Hari | |
| 1979 | Meri Biwi Ki Shaadi | Bhagwant Kumar Bartendu "Bhagu" | |
| 1979 | Solva Sawan | ||
| 1979 | Bin Baap Ka Beta | ||
| 1979 | Mother | Marathi film | |
| 1979 | Jeena Yahan | Dinesh | |
| 1980 | Aanchal | Kishan Lal | |
| 1980 | Apne Paraye | Chandranath | |
| 1981 | Naram Garam | Ram Eshwar Prasad | |
| 1981 | Sameera | ||
| 1981 | Akriet | Mukutrao Shinde | Marathi film won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Marathi |
| 1981 | Kalankini | Bengali film | |
| 1981 | Agni Pareeksha | Alok Choudhary / Ramesh Khanna | |
| 1981 | Chehre Pe Chehra | Peter | |
| 1981 | Plot No. 5 | ||
| 1982 | Jeevan Dhaara | Anand Bhatnagar | |
| 1982 | Olangal | Ravi Chattan | Malayalam film |
| 1982 | Ramnagari | ||
| 1982 | Spandan | ||
| 1982 | Shriman Shrimati | Madhu Gupta | |
| 1983 | Rang Birangi | Ajay Sharma | |
| 1983 | Ashray | ||
| 1983 | Pyaasi Aankhen | ||
| 1983 | Chena Achena | Bengali film | |
| 1984 | Tarang | Rahul | |
| 1984 | Aadmi Aur Aurat | Tapan Sinha | TV movie |
| 1984 | Prarthana | ||
| 1984 | Sringara Masa | Kannada film | |
| 1984 | Mr. X | Amar | Voice dubbed by other artist |
| 1985 | Khamosh | Amol Palekar | |
| 1985 | Jhoothi | Inspector Kamal Nath | |
| 1985 | Ankahee | Devkinandan Chaturvedi 'Nandu' | |
| 1985 | 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 | Hindi ZEE5 film |
| 2023 | Gulmohar | Sudhakar Batra | Disney+Hotstarfilm |