Lalita Pawar

Lalita Pawar
Lalita Pawar
Born	Amba Laxman Rao Sagun; 18 April 1916; Yeola, Nashik, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died	24 February 1998 (aged 81); Pune, Maharashtra, India
Years active	1928-1997
Children	1
Awards	1960: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Anari; 1961: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - Acting

Lalita Pawar (née Amba Laxmanrao Shagun; 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 holds a Guinness world record of longest acting career spanning over 70 years. Pawar won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the comedy-drama Anari. 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.^[1]

Biography

Pawar was born as Amba Laxman Rao Sagun on 18 April 1916, into an orthodox family in Yeola in Nashik.^[2] Her father Laxman Rao Shagun was a rich silk and cotton piecegoods merchant.^[3] 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.^[4] She also played the leading lady with the top heroes of the era like Paidi Jairaj, Trilok Kapoor, Gajanan Jagirdar etc.

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,^[5] for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Also, 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.^[6]

Personal life

Her first marriage was to Ganpatrao Pawar, which ended after he slept with her younger sister. She later married film producer Rajprakash Gupta, of Ambika studios, Bombay. Her son Jai Pawar become a producer and worked with her in movies like Manzil. Jai Pawar had 2 sons Sanjay Pawar and Manoj Pawar. She and her husband lived in Juhu,Mumbai with her son Sanjay Pawar and great-grand daughters Anushka and Aanya Pawar. She died on 24 February 1998 in Aundh, Pune, where she had been staying for a while, due to mouth cancer.^[7]

Selected filmography

Year	Film	Character
1941	Amrit	Seeta^[8]
1944	Ram Shastri	Anandibai (wife of Peshwa Raghunathrao)
1950	Dahej	Mrs. Biharilal (Suraj's mother)
1951	The Immortal Song	Vitabai
1952	Daag	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
1958	Parvarish	Thakurain Rukmani Singh Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1959	Anari	Mrs. L. D'Sa Won – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1959	Sujata	Giribala, Buaji/aunt
1960	Jhumroo	Jhumroo's Mother Jis desh me ganga behti hai (1960)
1960	Aanchal	Ramu's Mother Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1961	Junglee	Shekhar's mother
	Hum Dono^{[citation needed]}	Major's Mother
	Sampoorna Ramayana	Manthara
	Memdidi
1962	Professor	Sita Devi Verma Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1962	Banarsi Thug
1963	Bluff Master
	Sehra	Angara's mother
	Grahasti	Harish Khanna's sister
	Ghar Basake Dekho	Mrs. Shanta Mehra
1964	Sharabi
	Kohra	Dai Maa Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1966	Phool Aur Patthar	Mrs. Jeevan Ram
	Love in Tokyo	Gayatri Devi
	Khandan	Fufi
1967	Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti	Shefali's mother
1967	Noor Jehan
1968	Ankhen	Madam/Fake Aunt
	Neel Kamal	Thakurain
	Aabroo	Mrs. Verma
	Teen Bahuraniyan	Sita's mother
1969	Meri Bhabhi	Gangajali
1970	Anand	Matron
	Pushpanjali	Rani Sahiba
	Gopi	Lilawati devi
	Darpan	Dadima
1971	Jwala
1972	Gaon Hamara Shaher Tumhara	Lajwanti Pandey
1972	Bombay to Goa	Kashibai
1974	Hamrahi
	Naya Din Nai Raat	Mental Hospital Patient (Special appearance)
	Doosri Sita	Khel khel main'x
1976	Aaj Ka Ye Ghar	Mrs. Shanti Dinanath
1976	Tapasya	Mrs. Varma
1977	Jay Vejay	Nandini
	Prayashchit
	Aaina	Janki
1979	Manzil	Mrs. Chandra (Ajay's mother)
1980	Yaarana	mother
	Kali Ghata	Ambu, House keeper
	Phir Wohi Raat	Hostel Warden
	Sau Din Saas Ke	Bhavani Devi (Prakash's mother)
1981	Naseeb	Mrs. Gomes
1982	Apna Bana Lo	Mausi
1983	Ek Din Bahu Ka	Kalavati
1986	Pyar Ke Do Pal
1986	Ghar Sansar	Satyanarayan's mother
1987	Watan Ke Rakhwale	Radha's Maternal Grandma
1987	Uttar Dakshin
1988	Zalzala	Shila's mom
1988	Pyasi Aatma
1989	Bahurani
1992	Muskurahat	Laundry lady
1997	Bhai^[9]