Smita Patil

Smita Patil (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian film and theatre actress who mainly worked in Hindi and Marathi films.

Regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Patil appeared in over 80 films, in a career that spanned over a decade.

Patil was the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, two Filmfare Awards Marathi.

Smita Patil was born on 17 October 1955, in Pune, Maharashtra to a Maharashtrian politician father, Shivajirao Girdhar Patil and social worker mother Vidyatai Patil, from Shirpur town of Khandesh province of Maharashtra.

As a child, she participated in dramas.

Patil studied literature at University of Mumbai and was a part of local theatre groups in Pune and spent much of her time at the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), causing many to mistake her for an alumna.

The family mov's election as a cabinet minister.

Patil began her career in the early 1970s as a television newsreader on the newly transmitting Mumbai Doordarshan, the Indian government run broadcaster.

Her first film role was in the FTII student film Teevra Madhyam by Arun Khopkar.

Patil was a part of the radically political cinema of the 1970s, which included actresses such as Shabana Azmi and Deepti Naval.

Shyam Benegal then discovered her and cast her in his 1974 children's film, Charandas Chor.

Patil's first major role was in his other film, Manthan, in which she played a Harijan woman who leads the revolt of the milk co-operative.

Patil then won her first National Film Award for Best Actress and her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Hindi film Bhumika, just three years after her debut.

The film, in which she portrays an actress leading a tumultuous life through sudden fame and stardom, brought her talent to the attention of the world.

Patil made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975).

She became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, a New Wave movement in India cinema, though she also appeared in several mainstream movies throughout her career.

Her performances were highly acclaimed, and her most notable roles include Manthan (1976), Bhumika (1977) for which she won her first National Film Award for Best Actress, Jait Re Jait (1978), Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981) which earned her a second National Film Award for Best Actress and her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Namak Halaal (1982), Bazaar (1982), Umbartha (1982), Shakti (1982), Arth (1982), Ardh Satya (1983), Mandi (1983), Aaj Ki Awaaz (1984), Chidambaram (1985), Mirch Masala (1985), Amrit (1986), Dance Dance (1987) and Waaris (1988).

Apart from acting, Patil was an active feminist and a member of the Women's Centre in Mumbai.

She was deeply committed to the advancement of women's issues and gave her endorsement to films which sought to explore the role of women in traditional Indian society, their sexuality, and the changes facing the middle-class woman in an urban milieu.

Patil was married to actor Raj Babbar.

Patil attended the Cannes Film Festival in 1976 with Shabana Azmi and Shyam Benegal for the film Nishant.

Patil won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi for her performance in Jait Re Jait in 1977.

In an interview, she stated:"'I remained committed to small cinema for about five years ... I refused all commercial offers. Around 1977–78, the small cinema movement started picking up and they needed names. I was unceremoniously dropped from a couple of projects. This was a very subtle thing but it affected me a lot. I told myself that here I am and I have not bothered to make money. I have turned down big, commercial offers because of my commitment to small cinema and what have I got in return? If they want names I'll make a name for myself. So I started and took whatever came my way.'"

In time, commercial filmmakers like Raj Khosla, Ramesh Sippy and B.R. Chopra offered her roles, agreeing that she was "excellent".

Her fans, too, grew with her new-found stardom.

Her work includes films with parallel cinema directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Satyajit Ray (Sadgati, 1981), G. Aravindan (Chidambaram, 1985) and Mrinal Sen as well as forays into the more commercial Hindi film industry cinema of Mumbai.

In her films, Patil's character often represents an intelligent femininity that stands in relief against the conventional background of male-dominated cinema.

Patil was a women's rights activist and became famous for her roles in films that portrayed women as capable and empowered.

Patil received widespread critical acclaim for her performances in Chakra (1981), which earned her a second National Film Award for Best Actress and her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

As a part of her preparation for the role of a slum-dweller, Patil used to visit the slums in Bombay during the making of Chakra.

Patil went onto star in Bazaar (1982) and Aaj Ki Awaaz (1984), which earned her two nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Patil's performance in the marital drama Arth (1982) was highly appreciated.

For her portrayal as "the other woman" while acting opposite Shabana Azmi, she earned a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

During this time, she also starred in several notable Marathi film Umbartha (1982), winning her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi for her performance in the films.

Patil gradually moved to more commercial cinema.

For Mandi (1983), she earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1985.

She died on 13 December 1986 at the age of 31 due to childbirth complications.

Over ten of her films were released after her death.

Her son Prateik Babbar is a film actor who made his debut in 2008.