First major freelance director-character actor in Marathi and Hindi cinema. Born in Amravati. Child actor on amateur stage. Started Arun Players in Pune and staged Chekov’s Cherry Orchard and Harindranath Chattopadhyay’s Returned from Abroad. Claimed Ernst Lubitsch’s The Patriot (1928) as a major influence. Started in films as writer of English intertitles at Prabhat; then bit actor. Apprenticed to Bhalji Pendharkar. Made films for Master Vinayak’s Huns Pictures, briefly at Minerva Movietone as scenarist for Sohrab Modi (Meetha Zaher, Talaaq, etc.) and at P.K. Atre’s company. Best-known film: Ramshastri (at Prabhat), taking over the direction from Raja Nene and Bedekar as well as playing the lead role. Main performance was as the Muslim patriarch in Shantaram’s Shejari. Appointed first director of the FTII (1960) and became well-known pedagogue applying e.g. Stanislavski’s theories to local conditions in a book about acting (1983). Published two autobiographies (1971 & 1986). Made a TV serial, Swami, on the life of Madhavrao Peshwa, celebrating Marathi chauvinism.
Gajanan Jagirdar
Movies
Kaalia
Kaalia – A name that spells terror in the minds of people, and the police but Kaalia was not always like this. Years ago he was a mere simpleton. Living simply in a shanty ch awl with his elder brother, Shyamlal, Bhabhi (Sister – in – law), whom he adored…
Aarti
Aarti (Meena Kumari) is a dedicated and hard-working doctor, who believes that her skills should be used for the welfare of patients only. In contrast her fiance, Dr. Prakash (Ashok Kumar) believes in the opposite. Then one day, Aarti’s is saved from drowning by a poor, unemployed youth, Deepak (Pradeep…
Saanch Ko Aanch Nahin
Manoharlal Agarwal is a wealthy businessman and lives with his family consisting of three sons: Pratap, Dilip & Babu, two daughters Nirmala & Munni; his wife, Sharda; & Pratap’s wife; He asks Satyaprakash Agarwal to be the sole arbitrator in a matter concerning himself and Hariram. Before the arbitration, he…
Maan Abhiman
Young and enthusiastic Ajay Choudhary returns home to his widowed father, Mathuraprasad, sister, Rekha, and her fiancé, Dr. Ravikant. His father instructs him to take over the business as he no longer keeps good health. Ajay is overwhelmed by this but agrees to look after all affairs. One of his…
Suraj
Vikram Singh is the Maharaja of Pratap Nagar and is very impressed with his Senapati Sangram Singh for years of loyal service. He decides to make him a Maharaja and agrees to marry his daughter, Anuradha, with his son, Pratap. Years later, Vikram sends his now grown-up Anuradha to visit…
Naiyya
Lakhipur is a small community along the river bank of Ganga, where Sonu lives with his ailing mother. One day he rescues a woman named Geeta and brings her home with him. He and his mom look after her while she recuperates and find out that she comes from a…
Songs
Jeevan Mrityu
Ashok Tandon (Dharmendra) is a bank manager. He is in love with Deepa (Raakhee) and they are to be married soon. However, Ashok is arrested for theft from the bank. He asks Deepa to look after his mother (Leela Chitnis), which she agrees to. He is sentenced to prison for…