Smita Patil

 ( 1955 Births ) 

Patil went onto star in Bazaar (1982) Bazaar. p. 25. and Aaj Ki Awaaz (1984), which earned her two nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. For Mandi (1983), she earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. 1982: On the sets of Mandi by Screen Patil's performance in the marital drama Arth (1982) was highly appreciated.

Patil gradually moved to more commercial cinema. In an interview, she stated:

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

Patil's association with artistic cinema remained strong, however. Her arguably greatest (and unfortunately final) role came when Patil re-teamed with Ketan Mehta to play the feisty and fiery Sonbai in Mirch Masala, which released after her death in 1987. As seen here Patil's performance as a spirited spice-factory worker who stands up against a lecherous petty official in this film was highly praised, and won her the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress (Hindi). On the centenary of Indian cinema in April 2013, Forbes included her performance in the film on its list, "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". The Washington Post called her work "an enigmatically feisty final performance".

When Patil became romantically involved with actor Raj Babbar, she drew severe criticism from her fans and the media, clouding her personal life and throwing her into the eye of a media storm. Raj Babbar left his wife Nadira Babbar to marry Patil. Babbar and Patil first met on the sets of the 1982 film Bheegi Palkein. Their son, actor Prateik Babbar was born on 28 November 1986.

Patil is highly regarded for her range as an actor, her beauty, and her style. Suresh Kohli of Deccan Herald noted, "Smita Patil was, perhaps, the most accomplished actress of Hindi cinema. Her oeuvre is outstanding, investing almost every portrayal with a powerhouse realistic performance." Several actresses have been inspired by Patil's work. Actress Deepika Padukone said, "Smita Patil is someone whose work I admire a lot." Bhumi Pednekar credited the actress for "ushering in the change for heroines on screen", by her progressive portrayals. Katrina Kaif said, "Smita Patil's roles were an inspiration and touched the lives of millions of women. She showed us that not even sky is the limit" Somy Ali said that Patil inspired her to become an actress, she also termed Patil, her "favourite". Rekha termed Patil a "far better actor" than her or anybody else.

Talking about Patil, her co-actor Om Puri stated: "Smita had an understanding of love, a lot of sincerity and warmth came through in her performances. She was a Bohemian. She was not class conscious, rather was very bubbly, full of life. Never saw her low or depressed about anything. Very liberated and progressive in her thoughts and work." Andrew Robinson wrote in his book Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, that Ray once said, "There is no one who can replace Smita Patil".

Patil was known for her path-breaking roles and she changed the portrayal of women onscreen with her morally complex characters. Patil received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a feisty village girl in Manthan, an actress in Bhumika, a rape victim in Aakrosh, a slum-dweller in Chakra, a woman involved with a married man in Arth, a prostitute and classical singer in Mandi, a divorcee in Aakhir Kyon? and a strong woman against oppressors in Mirch Masala. Forbes India included her performance in Mirch Masala in its, "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema" list. Filmfare included Patil's performances in Bhumika and Mirch Masala in its list of "80 Iconic Performances" of Bollywood, placed 24th and 8th respectively. For Bhumika, it noted, "Smita's role is memorable not only because of her keen understanding of an actor and a woman's mindset but also because she flawlessly became Hansa during the film-within-the-film portions and her act giving the bygone era glimpse." NDTV added her character, Usha, from Bhumika in its "Trailblazing Women of Bollywood" list.

On not working in commercial cinema, Patil said, "I hope I don't get pushed into doing commercial films because, truly, that will be the end of Smita Patil." Shaikh Ayaz of The Indian Express noted, "In this repertory of talent that dominated the Hindi art cinema landscape, Patil was but a comet. Her films made space for feminist interventions, serving as a template for every succeeding generation of actors." Praising Patil's screen presence and work, S. Shivakumar of The Hindu termed her a "rare and refreshing exception in cinema" and said, "The lines between parallel and mainstream cinema may have blurred but her performances in both are priceless." Raja Sen from Rediff.com noted, "The more striking side of the coin was Smita Patil, who had a compellingly intelligent presence that stood for both empowerment and sensitivity." Ali Peter John from Bollywood Hungama noted, "Smita Patil was a complete and consummate actress, whose ability to face the most difficult challenges and triumph over them has become a part of the art of great acting. She was the life of art, parallel or new wave cinema."