Nana Palshikar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907 (1907) |
| Died | 1 June 1984(1984-06-01) (aged 76–77) Bombay,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1935–1984 |
Nana Palshikar (Marathi:नाना पळशीकर) (1907 – 1 June 1984) was an Indian actor who appeared in over 80 Hindi films. He made his film debut in 1935 withDhuwandhar, and went on to play character roles in both Hindi mainstream andarthouse films. He was also cast in small parts in a few international productions such asMaya (1966),The Guru (1969) andGandhi (1982). Palshikar was awarded theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, in 1962 and 1965. He was recognised with an award in the same category by theBengal Film Journalists' Association in 1965.
Palshikar made his first film appearance in 1935 along withLeela Chitnis in Sukumar Chatterjee'sDhurandhar. He appeared in two more films in this decade,Kangan andDurga (1939), both of which were produced at theBombay Talkies production house and were the two final films directed by German directorFranz Osten.[1]
After a long break of 14 years, during which he appeared only in one filmBahurani (1940), he returned to the screen inBimal Roy's 1953 pictureDo Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land), in which he played Dhangu Maheto, alongside actors such asBalraj Sahni andNirupa Roy. The film was a major critical success and won several national and international honours.[2][3] He followed it with supporting roles in other successful films of this decade, such asV. Shantaram'sJhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje,Bimal Roy'sDevdas,Raj Kapoor'sShree 420,Sombhu Mitra'sJagte Raho andHrishikesh Mukherjee'sAnari.[4]
In 1960, Palshikar appeared inKanoon, a courtroom drama involving a murder case. Directed byB. R. Chopra, the film saw Palshikar playing Kaalia, a petty thief who is caught and charged with murder for no fault of his own. Palshikar's performance earned him his firstFilmfare Award forBest Supporting Actor. In a retrospective review in 2009,The Hindu noted: "the star of the second half is Nana Palshikar, who slips into the role of a petty thief with a commanding performance."[5]
In 1963, Palshikar appeared inKhwaja Ahmad Abbas'sShehar Aur Sapna (The City and The Dreams). It is a social film which portrays the struggle of pavement dwellers in the backdrop of rapid industrialisation. The film, a love story that takes place in a drain pipe, received the President's Gold Medal Award and theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film.[6] Palshikar's performance as Johnny earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was acknowledged as Best Supporting Actor (Hindi) by theBengal Film Journalists' Association.[7]
John Berry'sMaya (1966) saw Palshikar playingSajid Khan's father. In 1969,James Ivory cast him in the foreign co-productionThe Guru. Ivory said: "I didn't know a great deal about him when we cast him... He was said to be a very good actor, which I took on faith."[8]Judith Crist from theNew York Magazine described his small part of "The Guru's Guru" in the film as "an unforgettable cameo".[9]
In the 1970s, Palshikar continued to portray father figures or authoritative characters such as judges. For instance, he played a father in many films such asB. R. Chopra'sDhund, based onAgatha Christie's playThe Unexpected Guest in 1973 andYaaron Ka Yaar in 1977. However, these roles were generally relatively minor and he was often uncredited for his performances, such as his role as a judge inJwar Bhata in 1972.
He continued playing a father into the 1980s, appearing inAakrosh (1980), playingOm Puri's dad. His last major film was in the epic filmGandhi in 1982, aRichard Attenborough directedbiographical film based on the life ofMohandas Gandhi, who led thenonviolent resistance movement againstBritish colonial rule inIndia during the first half of the 20th century. However, his role was very minor, playing a villager. His last appearance was in the filmKanoon Kya Karega, again playing a parent.
He died on 1 June 1984 in Bombay, aged 77.
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