Opinion Mohan Agashe receives Punya Bhusha: The man who facilitated the sangam of psychiatry and acting

While he is still an actor, Agashe has taken on the roles of both producer and distributor. He tapped his national and international contacts and presented his movies in seminars and conferences speaking about health, cinema and the synergy of the two

For Mohan who turned 76 on July 23, the journey did not start and end with ‘Ghashiram’. (Express File Photo by Arul Horizon)

Ravi Gupta

July 27, 2023 11:35 AM IST First published on: Jul 25, 2023 at 12:32 PM IST

The protagonist of Vijay Tendulkar’s play ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’ should have been Ghashiram. Yet a young Mohan Agashe’s brilliant performance — with a calculated gait, an enchanting voice, and a piercing gaze — made him the khalnayak of the iconic play and Nana Phadnavis’s character became an important part of Indian theatre history. He was honoured with a Punya Bhushan this week.

Thanks to Vijay Tendulkar’s brilliant writing, Jabbar Patel’s innovative direction, Bhaskar Chandavarkar’s lilting and uplifting music, imaginative choreography and sets as well as the amazing performances by the characters, ‘Ghashiram’ emerged as perhaps India’s most outstanding theatre creation ever. Yet the play needed a strong marketing push. That came from an unexpected quarter. Shiv Sena protested against the anti-Brahmanical stance of the play. That was the unintended boost. The play was now headline news and owing to its politicisation, was written about widely by critics in the mainstream media. The play, first performed in 1972, is still performed 50 years later, still remembered best for Mohan’s portrayal of Nana.

For Mohan who turned 76 on July 23, the journey did not start and end with ‘Ghashiram’. His organisational ability and his capacity to connect with people kept him and the ‘Ghashiram’ team busy for nearly two decades as he organised for the play to be presented in 12 countries and 50 cities including the UK, US, East and West Europe. Despite being written and performed in Marathi, the play was received very well all over the world, transcending language barriers. Mohan became the audience’s darling, many of whom were female fans. Some of them even turned into lifelong friends.

Also Read | Postcards from the Past: When Mohan Agashe played Pinocchio, once demanded Pune’s death certificate

The role of Nana opened up many acting opportunities for Agashe, who, over the years, emerged as one of Maharashtra’s most recognised faces. He played the lead or other important roles in films made by Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Jabbar Patel, Mira Nair, Umesh Kulkarni, Subhash Ghai, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Prakash Jha, Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhthankar among others. He has and continues to act in Marathi and Hindi cinema, regional films, TV serials, web series and ad films. Much has been written about Agashe and his films and much more will be written by film experts on his contribution to cinema. This is why I am not writing this article to talk about his cinema or acting.

Interestingly, Agashe did not give up his primary profession. He was a psychiatrist by training. While acting and psychiatry are entirely different vocations, he managed not only to perform both roles successfully but also over time facilitated a sangam (merging) of the two. As a practising psychiatrist at the Sassoon Hospital in Pune, he built up the department and later took over as the Head of the Department of Psychiatry. He became a member of the review committee of NIMHANS, Bangalore appointed by the Ministry of Health and Family. He was exposed to the mental health issues of the populace and realised that the existing infrastructure was inadequate. Agashe pushed for the creation of the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health and it was granted land by the state government on the outskirts of Pune. As governments changed, Mohan realised the myriad problems of getting the institute off the ground. He spent years in the Mantralaya in Mumbai persuading the bureaucracy to stand by the political commitments they made.

That unfortunately did not happen. After being Director of NIMH for many years, he gave up the fight with the bureaucracy, for the sake of his mental health.

Also Read | When Ghashiram Kotwal shook the corridors of power 50 yrs ago – and changed a 23-yr-old’s life

Mohan realises the power of cinema. He understood well the need to re-educate people on audio-visual grammar and cognitive understanding. Education’s focus on the written word instead of sounds, visuals, smells, and feelings felt skewed. He saw and experienced the impact of socially oriented films made by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar in Maharashtra. He was impressed that Sumitra wrote on a lot of health-related problems and issues that were considered taboo. Having worked closely with her as an actor, he decided to support Bhave in her ventures in health, particularly mental health-related issues. He produced four films written by her namely Astu and Kaasav directed by both, Dithee directed by her and OutHouse directed by Sunil Sukthankar.

Astu (So Be It) is a film about Alzheimer’s and how it disrupts the family of the caretaker bringing forth the serious health and social issues related to dementia. Mohan plays the role of the ageing protagonist. The film went on to receive several national awards.

Kaasav (Turtle) covers depression in young persons and its resolution. It went on to receive the Award for the Best Feature Film at the National Film Awards — the President’s Golden Lotus (2017).

Dithee (Seeing) spoke of the meaning of life and death, and coping with the loss of a dear one.

While he is still an actor, Agashe has taken on the roles of both producer and distributor. He tapped his national and international contacts and presented his movies in seminars and conferences speaking about health, cinema and the synergy of the two. The use of cinema as a medium to reach out to target audiences was a new experiment that worked very well and helped in recovering the film’s costs.

In his core training in psychiatry, he most closely worked with depression. He spoke on the issue at length on public platforms, on a one-to-one basis with many patients, friends, and referrals. He was considered an expert on mental health and depression. Yet, when the Covid-19 lockdown hit, Mohan himself went into depression. The situation only worsened after two of his actor colleagues lost their lives to Covid. They were taking all the precautions and following prescribed protocols. The loneliness that hit Mohan was difficult to cope with. He had no companion and was unable to access his support system. With a lot of effort, he recovered. He connected once again, on radio and social media, with his fans and talked about dealing with loss during Covid — of family members, friends, jobs and mental peace.

Mohan has a stellar record. He is currently writing his memoirs. We can hope to learn more about him in years to come. Meanwhile, here’s congratulating him on receiving the Punya Bhushan award and wishing him a happy 76th birthday. May his years ahead be filled with good mental and physical health surrounded by good friends.

The writer is Dean and Director of Whistling Woods International and the author of When God Went To Hell. He has also known Mohan Agashe for over 50 years

# Vijay Tendulkar