Rohini Hattangadi | |
|---|---|
 Hattangadi in 2010 | |
| Born | Rohini Oak (1951-04-11)11 April 1951 (age 74) Pune,Bombay State, India |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Aseem Hattangadi (son) |
Rohini Hattangadi (néeOak; born 11 April 1951)[1] is an Indian actress, known for her work inMarathi,Hindi,Telugu,Tamil,Kannada,Malayalam, andGujarati films, and Marathisoap operas and theatre. She has won twoFilmfare Awards, oneNational Film Award, and is the only Indian actress to win theBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance asKasturba Gandhi inGandhi (1982).[2][3]
An alumna of theNational School of Drama of New Delhi, Hattangadi had worked mainly in theatre when she made her movie debut withArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan in 1978. Some of her noted cinematic roles were in suchart films asArth (1982),Party andSaaransh (1984).
Hattangadi was mostly offered character roles in mainstream Hindi cinema after her portrayal inGandhi, often typecast in mother roles much ahead of her years. Respected for her acting prowess, she has appeared in over 80 feature films, and is active in theatre and television.[4]
Hattangadi was born inPune as Rohini Oak. She attended Renuka Swaroop Memorial Girls High School,Pune.[5]
She joined theNational School of Drama (NSD) ofNew Delhi in 1971. Although theFilm and Television Institute of India (FTII) was located in her hometown Pune, she did not join it because she was mainly interested in theatre and did not have early plans to enter cinema: "I just wanted to be an actor... My heart was in theatre because I learnt from my father (Anant Oak) that real acting is learnt through theatre. That's why I came all the way to Delhi to join NSD."[4] At NSD, she met her future husband Jayadev Hattangadi, who was in the same batch as hers. They were trained together byEbrahim Alkazi. Upon graduation in 1974, Rohini was awarded the Best Actress award and an award for Best all-round student, while Jayadev, who was being trained in direction, won the Best Director award. Jayadev and Rohini married the following year in 1975.[6][7]Rohini also received training in Indian classical dance forms,Kathakali andBharatnatyam for more than eight years, under the guidance of Professor Surendra Wadgaonkar.[8]
Rohini and Jayadev have a son, Aseem Hattangadi, who is a theatre actor and acted inBadal Sircar's play,Evam Indrajit, directed by his father.[9] Jaydev Hattangadi died on 5 December 2008, aged 60, after a battle withcancer.[10]
Rohini started her career withMarathi stage.[11] Once in Mumbai while still at NSD, Jayadev and Rohini started aMarathi theatre group in Mumbai, called "Awishkar", which went on to produce over 150 plays.[12] In 1975 she won the Best Actress Award at the Maharashtra State Drama Festival, for her performance inChanguna, a Marathi adaptation ofFederico García Lorca's Spanish classicYerma. The play was produced by "Awishkar" in Mumbai.
Hattangadi is the first woman to act in Kannada playYakshagana, a folk play directed byK. Shivaram Karanth, and is the first woman in Asia to act in a JapaneseKabuki play,Ibaragi, directed byShozo Sato, a Japanese director.[13]
One play that Hattangadi was particularly appreciated for isAparajita, based on a Bengali story by Nitin Sen. First staged in 1999, this 120-minute long solo-act play has over the years been performed in both Hindi and Marathi. Incidentally, it was her first performance in a long time to be directed by her husband, Jayadev Hattangadi. In all she has performed in five plays directed by him, includingMedea, a Greek tragedy written byEuripides.[14]
Her other theatre credits includeVijay Tendulkar'sMitra Chi Gosht, directed by Vinay Apte,Hori based on Premchand'sGodaan, produced byIPTA, and most recently in the Hindi playKohra withSudha Chandran and Babul Bhavsar.
Hattangadi, along with husband Jayadev, ran "Kalashray", a centre for research, education in arts and talent encouragement inMumbai, working with the underprivileged and developing tools for powerful communication.[7] She won the 2004Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Indian theatre.
Hattangadi made her film debut withSaeed Akhtar Mirza'sArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan in 1978. The film won theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. This was followed by her appearance in Mirza's next picture,Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980), which won the same award, and Rabindra Dharmaraj's dramaChakra (1981). Her characters in these films were minor.[4]
Her next film wasRichard Attenborough'sbiographical filmGandhi (1982), based on the life ofMahatma Gandhi. She playedKasturba Gandhi, the wife of Mahatma, played byBen Kingsley. The film was a major critical success, and among other awards won theAcademy Award for Best Picture. Hattangadi's performance garnered her international recognition and she won theBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1983, the only Asian to do that so far.[15]
Despite the success she received for her role inGandhi, the film was also credited with increasing "her screen age manifold". She was 27 when she played the middle-aged Kasturba, and from then on was offered roles of women of this age group. Hattangadi told of an instance whenJames Ivory wanted to cast for his filmHeat and Dust, but he was surprised by how young she was when he met her and ultimately did not approach her for a part because he did not want to use make-up. Although theatre was her main interest, she stated that it was not enough financially, stating, "I realised that theatre won't be enough to make ends meet."[4]
This was followed, however, by a string of acclaimed performances, starting withMahesh Bhatt'sArth (1982), which won her theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1984 she acted inGovind Nihalani's satirical dramaParty (1984) for which she received theNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.[7] She followed it with two films in which she portrayed aging housewives,Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! andSaaransh, both released in 1984. InSaaransh, she was the female lead along withAnupam Kher in his debut role. The film starred Hattangadi and Kher as B.V. and Parvati, an elderly couple struggling with the recent death of their son. Both Kher and Hattangadi were at their late 20s at the time, andThe Tribune described them as giving "immortal performances".[16] Her portrayal earned her a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress, but it further consolidated her image as a mother and by this time she was type-cast in Hindi commercial cinema in motherly roles.[4]
She was later recognised for her small part inN. Chandra'sPratighaat (1987), and for her comic performances inPankaj Parashar'sChaalBaaz andLadaai, both released in 1989. She played the role of Sribaby, a drug kingpin, in Parashar'sJalwa (1987). It was in Indianparallel cinema, however, where she was offered demanding roles. Her films of this period includeGovind Nihalani'sAghaat (1985), withMuzaffar Ali'sAnjuman (1986) andGirish Kasaravalli'sMane and Ek Ghar (1991).
In 1990, she was again cast as the aging mother ofAmitabh Bachchan inAgneepath, for which she was awarded her secondFilmfare Award in theBest Supporting Actress category. Throughout the 1990s and the 2000s, she was cast byRajkumar Santoshi in several of his films, such asDamini (1993),Ghatak: Lethal (1996) andPukar (2000).
In 1995, she was cast alongsideMohanlal in theMalayalam filmAgnidevan. In the film, she played aJnanpith winning author and the matriarch of a joint-family that runs a leading regional newspaper.
Her performance inRajkumar Hirani's directorial debutMunnabhai MBBS (2003) received positive reactions, and she later reprised her role in the Tamil version of the film,Vasool Raja MBBS (2004).
She also worked in the Marathi filmMumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (2018) in the role of Shubhhu Mavshi.
Some of her television performances include Vimla Pandey ofMahayagya, the role of a Hindustani classical singer inYeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum, a committed social worker inIntehaan and the unlettered and harassed Sakkubai inHindustani.[17]
Hattangadi played lead roles in the Marathi serialsChar Divas Sasuche andVahinisaheb onETV Marathi andZee Marathi, respectively.[18] She has played a parallel lead role in Marathi serialHonar Soon Mi Hya Gharchi onZee Marathi.[19] She played the lead role in a series on politics in India, where she played the leader of a major political party. In Hindi, She played the role of an actress inGhar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann as Gayatri Baa. Over the years, she has been seen in a number of TV serials includingMahayagya,Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai,Teache,Maayke Se Bandhi Dor and more. She played a special appearance inChhal — Sheh Aur Maat, which aired in the TV channelColors TV. She played a mother-in-law inTuza Maza Breakup. She is also seen as Kashibai in the Marathi serialSwamini produced by Viren Pradhan onColors Marathi.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan | Shilpa | Hindi | |
| 1980 | Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai | Vivek's wife | ||
| 1981 | Chakra | Laxmi | ||
| 1982 | Gandhi | Kasturba Gandhi | English | Won –BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Arth | Pooja's Maid | Hindi | Won –Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 1984 | Saaransh | Parvati Pradhan | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actress | |
| Bhavna | Shobha | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | ||
| Party | Mohini Barve | Won –National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | ||
| Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! | Defense lawyer | |||
| Hum Do Hamare Do | Sima | |||
| 1985 | Aghaat | Mrs. Ali | ||
| 1986 | Surya | Kannada | ||
| 1987 | Achuvettante Veedu | Rukmini Kunjamma | Malayalam | |
| Pratighaat | Durga | Hindi | ||
| Jalwa | Sree Baby | |||
| 1988 | Shahenshah | Shanti (Vijay's mother) | ||
| Hero Hiralal | Roopa's step-mom | |||
| Akarshan | Didi | |||
| 1989 | Billoo Badshah | Billu's mother | ||
| Ladaai | Mrs. Shanti Sharma | |||
| ChaalBaaz | Amba | |||
| 1990 | Agneepath | Suhasini Chauhan | Won – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| Siva | Prakash's Mother | |||
| 1991 | Ek Ghar | |||
| Mane | Kannada | |||
| Sitaramayyagari Manavaralu | Janakamma, wife of Sitarammayya | Telugu | ||
| 1992 | Raatri | Mother of Manisha Sharma | ||
| Raat | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Damini | Mrs. Sumitra Gupta | ||
| 1994 | Teerpu | Parvathi | Telugu | |
| Bhale Pellam | ||||
| 1995 | Top Hero | Amma | ||
| Agnidevan | Aniyankuttan's Grand mother | Malayalam | ||
| 1996 | Little Soldiers | Rajeswari Devi | Telugu | |
| Ghatak | Savitri | Hindi | ||
| 1997 | Tunnu Ki Tina | Tunnu's mother | ||
| 1999 | Lohpurush[20] | Chief Minister Gayatri Devi | ||
| 2000 | Pukar | Mrs. Mallapa (Pooja's mother) | ||
| 2001 | Lajja | Mrs. Hazarilal | ||
| Avgat | Ramya's mother | |||
| 2002 | Badhaai Ho Badhaai | Rosy D'Souza | ||
| 2003 | Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | Parvati Sharma | ||
| 2004 | Vasool Raja M.B.B.S. | Kasturi Venkataraman | Tamil | |
| 2008 | Karzzzz | Shanta Prasad Verma | Hindi | |
| 2009 | Ganesh Just Ganesh | Divya's aunt | Telugu | |
| 2012 | Shirdi Sai | Ganga Bai | ||
| 2013 | Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu | Bondam/Bamma | ||
| Ramayya Vasthavayya | Baby | |||
| David | Malati Tai | Hindi/Tamil | ||
| Premachi Goshta | Ram's Mother | Marathi | ||
| 2014 | Veeram | Koppenrundevi | Tamil | |
| 2015 | Mango Dreams | Padma | English | |
| 2016 | Brahmotsavam | Mahalakshmi's stepmother | Telugu | |
| 2018 | Chal Mohan Ranga | Saroja | ||
| Oxygen | Gujarati | |||
| 2019 | Chitralahari | Judge | Telugu | |
| Kolaiyuthir Kaalam | Cook | Tamil | ||
| 2019 | Once More | Marathi | [21] | |
| 2022 | Jalsa | Rukmimi | Hindi | |
| 2023 | Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan | Gundamaneni Pushpanjali | Hindi | |
| Baipan Bhaari Deva | Jaya | Marathi | [22] | |
| 2024 | Aata Vel Zaali | Ranjana Lele | Marathi | |
| The Family Star | Govardhan's grandmother | Telugu | [23] | |
| 2025 | Aatli Batmi Phutli | Savita | Marathi | [24] |
| Year | Title | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Chhoti Badi Batein | Hindi | |
| 1987-1988 | Ganadevta | ||
| 1997-1999 | Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai | ||
| 1998 | Mahayagya | Vimla | |
| 1999 | Muskaan | Rahul's mother | |
| 2001–2013 | Char Divas Sasuche | Ashalata Deshmukh | Marathi |
| 2007-2009 | Vahinisaheb | Shalini Bhosale | |
| Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann | Gayatri | Hindi | |
| 2011 | Maayke Se Bandhi Dor | Lata | |
| 2012 | Chhal — Sheh Aur Maat | Astrologer | |
| 2013-2016 | Honar Soon Mi Hya Gharchi | Bhagirathi Gokhale (Aai Aaji) | Marathi |
| 2017-2018 | Tuza Maza Breakup | Aaji | |
| 2020-2021 | Doctor Don | Snehlata | |
| 2020-2021 | Sukhi Mansacha Sadara | Hansa | |
| 2021 | Moti Baa Ni Nani Vahu | Kaki Baa | Gujarati |
| 2023 | Yashoda - Goshta Shyamchya Aaichi | Rukmini Parchure | Marathi |
Rohini Hattangadi has played a number of roles in Marathi and Hindi plays in her career. Some of the most popular plays areAai Tula Mi Kuthe Theu andCharchaughi.
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| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | BAFTA Awards | Gandhi | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Won[a] |
| 1984 | National Film Awards | Party | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
| 1984 | Filmfare Awards | Arth | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
| 1985 | Saaransh | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Bhavna | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
| 1991 | Agneepath | Won | ||
| 2001 | Screen Awards | Pukar | Best Comedian | Nominated |
| 2004 | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award | Honoured | ||
