Currently, there is a heated debate on insider and outsider in Bollywood. It started with the angst that the nepo-kids received unparalleled advantage over talented actors. But there was a time when family legacy was seen as a badge of honour by the cinema lovers. The legendary Kapoor, Mangeskar and Shantaram family among others made remarkable contributions to the Hindi Cinema Industry. They made a place for themselves purely on the basis of merit and not due to privileges of their family.
The passion and love for Cinema was such that there were instances where the great director V Shantaram removed his kin from the movie on the basis of film and performance requirements. This article is a sincere tribute to the legendary filmmaker for his enormous contribution to the Hindi cinema industry which is currently going through its toughest time.
Early Life and notable family members
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre was born on 18th of November 1901 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. His father belonged to a Jain family and mother believed in Hinduism. This religious harmony was reflected in his movies. Standing apart from directors of his time, he often portrayed social messages and stern opinions on bigotry in his movies.
He married thrice. In 1921, he tied the knot with Vimalabai with whom he had four children namely Prabhat Kumar and daughters Saroj, Madhura and Charusheela. The Eldest daughter, Saroj married a Parsi and ran a family resort at the inherited farmhouse of her father. Madhura married the acclaimed vocalist Pandit Jasraj. Their children made big in the Hindi cinema industry. Their son Shaarang Dev Pandit became a well-known music director. Their daughter Durga Jasraj became a TV personality.
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Shataram’s third daughter Charusheela is the mother of Hindi and Marathi actor Sushant Ray popularly known as Siddharth Ray.
Later, in 1941, he married actress Jayashree with whom he had worked in several movies. With her he had three children – Kiran Shantaram, the acclaimed Marathi film director and producer, and two daughters, the actress Rajshree and Tejashree.
Just before polygamy was banned for Hindus in 1956, he married for the third time with actress Sandhya with whom he had acted in several movies before and after their marriage. The couple didn’t have any children and Sandhya lived with his first wife Vimalabai.
Cinematic Journey
At a very early age, Shantaram developed a liking for music, acting and cinema. To associate with Cinema in any manner, he wouldn’t hesitate to do odd jobs. In one of these jobs, he was allowed to watch movies for free. The cinema lover, Shantaram was a great fan of Dadasaheb Phalke and would utilise his time to watch his movies. From there on he developed a strong passion for movies and the art of movie making.
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For around eight years, he worked under the banner of Maharashtra Film Company (MFC). It was owned by Baburao Painter. In 1921, he made his acting debut with the silent movie Surekha Haran. Under the banner of MFC, he acted in several silent films. There he learned the skills of acting and direction.
He made his directorial debut in 1927 when he directed Netaji Palkar. The movie was about the Maratha warrior Shivaji and his commander-in-chief Netaji Palkar. It depicted Netaji’s quest to protect the Maratha kingdom. Reportedly, the success of this movie prevented Painter’s company from going bankrupt.
In 1929, he along with three colleagues left MFC to start their own production venture. In 1932, he set a trend of bilingual films in India with his movie Ayodhhyecha Raja.
He named the production company Prabhat Film Company (PFC) after his eldest son. From here, he started making films on social issues. Films like Manoos (1939), Dharmatma (1935), Duniya Na Maane (1937) and Padosi (1941) are some of the prominent films he made in the genre of social drama. Charlie Chaplin was one of his fans and he liked his Marathi film Manoos a lot.
Evidently, Padosi was his last movie under the banner of PFC. It was based on importance of communal harmony. Apart from that, Shantaram is said to be the first director who used to cast women in lead roles. Additionally, under the banner of PFC, he started composing music for his films. It is said that he did ghost writing for many music directors. He was a tough task master. It was hard to impress him and certain songs were rehearsed countless times before they got his final approval.
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In 1943, he left PFC to set up “Rajkamal Kala Mandir” (RKM) in Mumbai. In those times, the Rajkamal production house was one of the most sophisticated studios of the country. Several other eminent filmmakers, including Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal would also come there to shoot their films in RKM.
The RKM produced a number of remarkable films. It includes Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Dahej (1950), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955) and Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957).
His first colour film was Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. He won several awards including national and international awards for his film – Do Aankhen Barah Haath. The iconic movie highlighted a jail guard’s efforts to reform 12 prisoners.
The movie song Aye Maalik Tere Bande Hum was sung by Lata Mangeshkar. The timeless song still echoes among the hearts of the masses.
Accolades
The legendary director Shantaram received the highest Indian film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 1985. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1992. The Mumbai International Film Festival instituted the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. Since then, it is given annually to filmmakers who have made an outstanding contribution to the world of cinema.
His autobiography Shantarama was published in Hindi and Marathi.
He passed away on 30th of October 1990 in Mumbai. He had an illustrious career as a filmmaker that lasted for almost seven decades.
Shantaram was fondly known as Annasaheb. He will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of Indian cinema who revolutionised filmmaking with his relentless experimentation techniques. Cinema lovers will always proudly remember his outstanding contribution to both Hindi and Marathi cinema.
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