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Lalita Pawar (née Amba Laxmanrao Shagun; 18 April 1916 – 24 February 1998) was a prolific actress, who later became famous as a character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Bollywood, Marathi cinema 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.
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 Bhagwan Dada 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 or mother-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, Anari Indian Cinema, University of Iowa. 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.
| 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 | ||
| Parchhain | Badi Rani | |||
| 1955 | Shri 420 | Ganga Mai | ||
| 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 | |
| Sujata | Giribala, Buaji/aunt | |||
| 1960 | Jhumroo | Jhumroo's Mother Jis desh me ganga behti hai (1960) | ||
| Aanchal | Ramu's mother | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | ||
| 1961 | Junglee | Shekhar's mother | ||
| Hum Dono | Major's Mother | |||
| Sampoorna Ramayana | Manthara | |||
| Memdidi | ||||
| 1962 | Professor | Sita Devi Verma | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| Banarsi Thug | ||||
| 1963 | Bluff Master | |||
| Sehra | Angara's mother | |||
| Grahasti | Harish Khanna's sister | |||
| 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 | ||
| Love in Tokyo | Gayatri Devi | |||
| Khandan | Fufi | |||
| 1967 | Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti | Shefali's mother | ||
| Noor Jehan | ||||
| 1968 | Ankhen | Madam/Fake Aunt | ||
| Neel Kamal | Thakurain | |||
| Aabroo | Mrs. Verma | |||
| Teen Bahuraniyan | Sita's mother | |||
| 1969 | Meri Bhabhi | Gangajali | ||
| 1970 | Anand | Matron | ||
| Pushpanjali | Rani Sahiba | |||
| Gopi | Lilawati devi | |||
| Darpan | Dadima | |||
| 1971 | Jwala | |||
| 1972 | Gaon Hamara Shaher Tumhara | Lajwanti Pandey | ||
| Bombay to Goa | Kashibai | |||
| 1974 | Hamrahi | |||
| Naya Din Nai Raat | Mental Hospital Patient (Special appearance) | |||
| Doosri Sita | ||||
| 1976 | Aaj Ka Ye Ghar | Mrs. Shanti Dinanath | ||
| Tapasya | Mrs. Varma | |||
| 1977 | Jay Vejay | Nandini | ||
| Prayashchit | ||||
| Aaina | Janki | |||
| 1979 | Manzil | Mrs. Chandra (Ajay's mother) | ||
| 1980 | Yaarana | mother | ||
| Kali Ghata | Ambu, House keeper | |||
| Phir Wohi Raat | Hostel Warden | |||
| 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 | |||
| Ghar Sansar | Satyanarayan's mother | |||
| 1987 | Watan Ke Rakhwale | Radha's Maternal Grandma | ||
| Uttar Dakshin | ||||
| 1988 | Zalzala | Shila's mom | ||
| Sherni | Old lady searching for her son | |||
| Pyasi Aatma | ||||
| 1989 | Bahurani | |||
| 1992 | Muskurahat | Laundry lady | ||
| 1997 | Bhai |
| 1987 | Ramayan | Manthara | DD National |
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