Amol Palekar

Amol Palekar is a well-known theatre personality and an acclaimed Indian actor and filmmaker who mainly works in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He has acted in about 50 films in five languages and has directed several feature films and TV shows. Palekar was born in a lower-middle-class family. His father was employed with the General Post Office, while his mother worked in a private company. He completed his schooling at Bal Mohan Vidya Mandir in Mumbai. After clearing his SSC exams, he studied fine arts at Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai and graduated in 1965. He had to do several "odd jobs" to sustain himself during this period. After graduation, he worked as a clerk with the Bank of India by day and pursued his passion for painting at night. In 1967, he held his first solo painting exhibition at the Taj Art Gallery. Around this time, he ventured into theatre and started doing stage shows. An opportunity to work in the movies soon followed, and Palekar switched to acting. Palekar made his acting debut in Bajiraocha Beta (1971), a Marathi film directed by Raja Thakur. His first Hindi film was Rajnigandha (1974), helmed by Basu Chatterjee. The film went on to become a sleeper hit. In 1976, he acted in Basu Chatterjee's romantic comedy Chhoti Si Baat (1976). This low-budget coming-of-age film turned out to be a box office hit. In the same year, he acted in the romantic musical film Chitchor (1976), once again directed by Basu Chatterjee. It marked Palekar's third association with the director. With this film, Palekar scored a hat-trick of hits at the box office, which helped him to carve out a space for himself in the Hindi film industry. In Gharaonda (1977), helmed by Bhimsain, Palekar played the role of a middle-class man looking for a house in Mumbai. He essayed a negative role in Shyam Benegal's Bhumika (1977), starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, and Anant Nag. The film revolves around an individual's quest for identity and self-fulfilment. In 1979, Palekar acted in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's comedy film Gol Maal (1979). The story was about a middle-class man's quest to get a job. In this movie, he essayed the roles of Ram Prasad Sharma and Lakshman Prasad Sharma (Lucky), which became a big hit. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 1980 for Gol Maal. He played the lead role in Baton Baton Mein (1979), directed by Basu Chatterjee, which was also released in 1979. The film revolves around the protagonist's struggle to get a girlfriend or wife, and it became a commercial and critical success. In 1986, Palekar appeared in a leading role in the thriller Khamosh (1986), directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Palekar portrayed a fictional version of himself in this movie. He acted in the supernatural action thriller Aks (2001), helmed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon, and Manoj Bajpayee. The same year, Palekar married Chitra Palekar in 1969, and the couple divorced in 2001. Later that year, he married Sandhya Gokhale in 2001. Palekar appeared in Gulmohar (2023), directed by Rahul V. Chittella. One of his directorial ventures Paheli (2005), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, was the official entry of India for the 78th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.