Journalism of Courage
Born on 17 October 1955, Bollywood actor Smita Patil changed the outlook of fans towards Hindi film heroines. Her movies like Mirch Masala, Arth, Aakrosh, Manthan and Bazaar among others became a testimony of her fine acting skills. In the words of filmmaker Shyam Benegal, "She was a chameleon. She could be a part of the story without your thinking about it. She was instinctive, she could do the scenes instinctively. The camera loved her. The camera looked at her, it picked her out of everyone else. That was the most important thing. That was the thing about Smita.” Unfortunately, the graceful and elegant actor's stay in Bollywood was short lived as Smita died at the young age of 31. Today, on her 62nd birth anniversary, we dug up some rare photos of the actor which prove that Smita broke many stereotypes of the film industry.
Smita Patil made headlines for her relationship with already married Raj Babbar. Unaffected with the controversies, Smita continued her relationship with the actor and gave birth to Prateik Babbar. But after a few days of giving birth to Prateik, Smita breathed her last on December 13, 1986.
Smita Patil in National Award-winning Hindi film Mirch Masala. The movie was released in 1987 and also starred Naseeruddin Shah.
Smita Patil was known for her ace acting skills. One of the torchbearers of the parallel cinema movement, she created her own niche in the industry when only family dramas dominated the screens. Smita worked opposite many known names of the industry including Om Puri in Utpalendu Chakraborty directorial Debshishu in 1985.
It was not in the movies that Smita Patil faced the cameras for the first time. She won hearts as a news anchor on Doordarshan. Later, Shyam Benegal discovered her talent and signed her for Charandas Chor in 1975. It was this film which marked the debut of Smita on the silver screen. Later, he signed her for his other two movies, Manthan and Nishant.
Smita Patil in Nishant.
Smita Patil was a two-time National Award winner in the Best Actress category. She won it for Bhumika and Chakra.
Smita Patil in Akaler Sandhane.
In a career spanning over ten years, Smita acted in more than 80 Hindi and Marathi films. She also received the Padma Shri Award in 1985.
