# Lalita Pawar

Lalita Pawar (née Amba Laxmanrao Shagun; 18 April 1916 – 24 February 1998) was a prolific Indian actress, who later became famous as a character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati cinema. She holds a Guinness world record of longest acting career spanning over 70 years. Pawar won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the comedy-drama Anari. She featured in hit films such as Netaji Palkar (1938), made by Bhalji Pendharkar, New Hana Pictures' Sant Damaji, Navyug Chitrapat's Amrit, written by VS Khandekar, and Chhaya Films' Gora Kumbhar. Her other memorable roles were in the films Anari (1959), Shri 420 and Mr & Mrs 55, and the role of Manthara, in Ramanand Sagar's television epic serial Ramayan.

## Biography

Pawar was born as Amba Laxman Rao Sagun on 18 April 1916, into an orthodox family in Yeola in Nashik. Her father Laxman Rao Shagun was a rich silk and cotton piecegoods merchant. She started her acting career at age nine in the film Raja Harishchandra (1928), and later went on to play lead roles in the silent era and 1940s films, in a career that lasted until the end of her life, spanning seven decades.
She co-produced and acted in a silent film Kailash (1932), and later produced another film Duniya Kya Hai in 1938, a talkie.
In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie Jung-E-Azadi, actor Master Bhagwan was to slap her hard. Being a new actor, he accidentally slapped her very hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left eye vein. Three years of treatment later, she was left with a defective left eye; thus she had to abandon lead roles, and switch to character roles, which won her much of her fame later in life. She also played the leading lady with the top heroes of the era like Paidi Jairaj, Trilok Kapoor, Gajanan Jagirdar etc.
She was known particularly for playing maternal figures, especially wicked matriarchs or mothers-in-law. She also notably played the strict but kind Mrs. L. D'Sa in Anari (1959) with Raj Kapoor. Under Hrishikesh Mukherjee's direction, she gave the performance of a lifetime, for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Also, as the tough matriarch who falls in love in Professor (1962), and the devious hunchback Manthara in Ramanand Sagar's television series Ramayan. She was honored by the Government of India as the first lady of Indian cinema in 1961.

## Personal life

Her first marriage was to Ganpatrao Pawar, which ended after he slept with her younger sister. She later married film producer Rajprakash Gupta, of Ambika studios, Bombay. Her son Jai Pawar become a producer and worked with her in movies like Manzil. Jai Pawar had 2 sons Sanjay Pawar and Manoj Pawar. She and her husband lived in Juhu,Mumbai with her son Sanjay Pawar and great-grand daughters Anushka and Aanya Pawar. She died on 24 February 1998 in Aundh, Pune, where she had been staying for a while, due to mouth cancer.

## Selected filmography

| Year | Film | Character |
| 1941 | Amrit | Seeta |
| 1944 | Ram Shastri | Anandibai (wife of Peshwa Raghunathrao) |
| 1950 | Dahej | Mrs. Biharilal (Suraj's mother) |
| 1951 | The Immortal Song | Vitabai |
| 1952 | Daag | Shankar (Dilip Kumar)'s Mother |
| 1952 | Parchhain | Badi Rani |
| 1955 | Shri 420 | Ganga Mai |
| 1955 | Mr & Mrs 55 | Seeta Devi, Anita's Aunt |
| 1957 | Nau Do Gyarah | |
| 1958 | Parvarish | Thakurain Rukmani Singh Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1959 | Anari | Mrs. L. D'Sa Won – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1959 | Sujata | Giribala, Buaji/aunt |
| 1960 | Jhumroo | Jhumroo's Mother Jis desh me ganga behti hai (1960) |
| 1960 | Aanchal | Ramu's Mother Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1961 | Junglee | Shekhar's mother |
| 1961 | Hum Dono | Major's Mother |
| 1961 | Sampoorna Ramayana | Manthara |
| 1961 | Memdidi | |
| 1962 | Professor | Sita Devi Verma Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1962 | Banarsi Thug | |
| 1963 | Bluff Master | |
| 1963 | Sehra | Angara's mother |
| 1963 | Grahasti | Harish Khanna's sister |
| 1963 | Ghar Basake Dekho | Mrs. Shanta Mehra |
| 1964 | Sharabi | |
| | Kohra | Dai Maa Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1966 | Phool Aur Patthar | Mrs. Jeevan Ram |
| 1966 | Love in Tokyo | Gayatri Devi |
| 1966 | Khandan | Fufi |
| 1967 | Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti | Shefali's mother |
| 1967 | Noor Jehan | |
| 1968 | Ankhen | Madam/Fake Aunt |
| 1968 | Neel Kamal | Thakurain |
| 1968 | Aabroo | Mrs. Verma |
| 1968 | Teen Bahuraniyan | Sita's mother |
| 1969 | Meri Bhabhi | Gangajali |
| 1970 | Anand | Matron |
| 1970 | Pushpanjali | Rani Sahiba |
| 1970 | Gopi | Lilawati devi |
| 1970 | Darpan | Dadima |
| 1971 | Jwala | |
| 1972 | Gaon Hamara Shaher Tumhara | Lajwanti Pandey |
| 1972 | Bombay to Goa | Kashibai |
| 1974 | Hamrahi | |
| 1974 | Naya Din Nai Raat | Mental Hospital Patient (Special appearance) |
| 1974 | Doosri Sita | Khel khel main'x |
| 1976 | Aaj Ka Ye Ghar | Mrs. Shanti Dinanath |
| 1976 | Tapasya | Mrs. Varma |
| 1977 | Jay Vejay | Nandini |
| 1977 | Prayashchit | |
| 1977 | Aaina | Janki |
| 1979 | Manzil | Mrs. Chandra (Ajay's mother) |
| 1980 | Yaarana | mother |
| 1980 | Kali Ghata | Ambu, House keeper |
| 1980 | Phir Wohi Raat | Hostel Warden |
| 1980 | Sau Din Saas Ke | Bhavani Devi (Prakash's mother) |
| 1981 | Naseeb | Mrs. Gomes |
| 1982 | Apna Bana Lo | Mausi |
| 1983 | Ek Din Bahu Ka | Kalavati |
| 1986 | Pyar Ke Do Pal | |
| 1986 | Ghar Sansar | Satyanarayan's mother |
| 1987 | Watan Ke Rakhwale | Radha's Maternal Grandma |
| 1987 | Uttar Dakshin | |
| 1988 | Zalzala | Shila's mom |
| 1988 | Sherni | Old lady searching for her son |
| 1988 | Pyasi Aatma | |
| 1989 | Bahurani | |
| 1992 | Muskurahat | Laundry lady |
| 1997 | Bhai | |

### Television

| Year | Show | Role | Channel | References |
| 1987 | Ramayan | Manthara | DD National | |

## Awards

* 1960: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Anari
* 1961: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - Acting