Amol Palekar


Amol Palekar is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema.

Career

He studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he had seven one-man exhibitions and participated in many group shows. However, 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 one Filmfare award and six State awards as Best Actor. His performances in regional language films in Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada fetched him critical acclaim as well. 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 the national network such as Kachchi Dhoop, Mrignayani, Naquab, Paool Khuna and Krishna Kali.

Theatre journey

Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and 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. Following a performance on stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 1994, he returned to theatre after a gap of 25 years with the suspenseful play, Kusur. This play is directed by him and he also plays 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 Basu Chatterjee in Rajnigandha, and in the surprise low-budget hit, Chhoti Si Baat. This led to many other such 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, his own flat, a girlfriend/wife, and appreciation from his boss.
In 1979, he was paired with a sixteen-year-old Sridevi in Solva Saawan, which was her debut Hindi movie as a heroine. 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 showed his capabilities as a director 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.
He has also given his voice to an HIV/AIDS education animated software tutorial created by the nonprofit organization TeachAIDS. He is willing to act once again if he is given a challenging role.

Personal life

Amol Palekar was born to Kamlakar and Suhasini Palekar in a lower-middle-class family in Mumbai. He was raised along with his three sisters, Neelon, Rekha and Unnati, by his father who worked in the General Post Office and his mother, who worked in a private company. He worked at the Bank of India before he switched full-time to a career in acting. He also does some social work. He married Sandhya Gokhale after his divorce from his first wife, Chitra. Palekar regards himself as an agnostic atheist.

Filmography

As an actor

YearFilmCharacter/roleNotes
1969Bajiraocha BetaMarathi film
1971Shantata! Court Chalu AaheMarathi film
1974RajnigandhaSanjay
1975Jeevana JyotiSanjayTelugu film
1976Chhoti Si BaatArun PradeepNominated Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1976ChitchorVinod
1977GharondaSudip
1977BhumikaKeshav Dalvi
1977Agar... IfAnil Aggarwal
1977Taxi TaxieDev/Hero
1977Tuch Maazi RaaniMarathi film
1977Kanneshwara RamaChenneeraKannada film
1978DamaadSharad Mazgaonkar
1978Safed JhootAmol 'Ramu' Palekar
1979Baaton Baaton MeinTony Braganza
1979Gol MaalRam Prasad Sharma/
Lakshman Prasad Sharma 		Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1979Do Ladke Dono KadkeHari
1979Meri Biwi Ki ShaadiBhagwant Kumar Bartendu "Bhagu"
1979Solva Sawan
1979Bin Baap Ka Beta
1979Mother 1979 filmMarathi film
1979Jeena YahanDinesh
1980AanchalKishan Lal
1980Apne ParayeChandranath
1981Naram GaramRam Eshwar Prasad
1981Sameera
1981AkrietMukutrao ShindeMarathi film
1981KalankiniBengali film
1981Agni PareekshaAlok Choudhary / Ramesh Khanna
1981Chehre Pe ChehraPeter
1981Plot No. 5
1982Jeevan DhaaraAnand Bhatnagar
1982OlangalRavi ChattanMalayalam film
1982Ramnagari
1982Spandan
1982Shriman ShrimatiMadhu Gupta
1983Rang BirangiAjay Sharma
1983Ashray
1983Pyaasi Aankhen
1983Chena AchenaBengali film
1984TarangRahul
1984Aadmi Aur AuratTapan SinhaTV Movie
1984Prarthana
1984Sringara MasaKannada film
1984Mr. XAmarVoice dubbed by other artist
1985KhamoshAmol Palekar
1985JhoothiInspector Kamal Nath
1985Ankahee Devkinandan Chaturvedi 'Nandu'
1985AbashesheBengali film
1986Baat Ban JayeYeshwant Rao Bhonsle
1994Teesra Kaun?C. K. Kadam
2001AksThe Defence Minister
2009SamaantarKeshav VazeMarathi film

As a director

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