Considered to be one of the finest actress on stage and in films of her time, Smita Patil was born on October 17, 1955. Though her life was tragically cut short in 1986, she appeared in over 80 films in Hindi, Marathi and Malayalam in a career spanning just over a decade. A Pune Film and Television Institiute of India alumni, she made her debut with Shyam Benegal’s Charandas Chor in 1975 and quickly became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, making films like Manthan, Bhumika and others.
An active feminist who also sought to explore the role of women in traditional Indian society, she was married to actor Raj Babbar. On December 13, 1986, she passed away at the age of 31, from complications in childbirth. Her son, Prateik Babbar, who made his Bollywood debut in 2008 also took to social media to remember the actress.
On the actress' 64th birth anniversary, here's looking at 5 of her most noted films.
Manthan (1976): The Shyam Benegal directorial was inspireed by the milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien and starred Smita Patil, Girish karnad, Naseeruddin Shah and Amrish Puri. Set amidst the backdrop of the White Revolution of India, it was also India's first crowdfunded film. It went on to win the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and National Film Award for Best Screenplay for Vijay Tendulkar. The film was also India's offcial entry to the Oscars for 1976.
Aakrosh (1980): Directed by Govind Nihalani, the film, starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in lead roles and went to win 1980 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. A scathing satire on the corruption of contemporary society, the film was allegedly based on a true incident reported in a local newspaper.
Chakra (1980): Starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in lead roles, the film sees Amma (Patil) and her son becoming Bombay's slum-dwellers after running away from their village. They run away after her husband kills a moneylender who tried to rape her. The husband is then shot trying to steal some tin to build a hut. The life of the mother and child is then chronicled throughout the movie.
Aakhir Kyon? (1985): The movie starred Rajesh Khanna, Tina Munim, Smita Patil and Rakesh Roshan. The film was a progresive work that detailed the life of a woman, who shattered by the lies of her marital life, leaves behind her husband and daughter to mark a name for herself in the real world. Smita Patil played the role of the protagonist.
Nazrana (1987): A Ravi Tandon film, starring Smita Patil, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi, it was released a month after the death of Patil and was dedicated to her memory. The film, on relationships and affairs, saw Smita Patil play a housewife to Khanna, whose life goes topsy turvy when a well-known model starts spreading rumours about her husband. Sridevi, plays the role of their housemaid, who too has an important contribution to the plotline.
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