Smita Patil was one of the famous and finest actresses of her time. She did many Hindi and Marathi movies in a career that spanned just over a decade.
She was known for doing Parallel cinema or art-house cinema and brought many real-life issues on screen. During her career, she received not one but two National Film Awards. She was also the recipient of the Padma Shri (India’s fourth-highest civilian honor).
She is best known for her roles in movies such as Manthan, Bhumika, Chakra (1981) and Mirch Masala among others.
She was married to actor Raj Babbar. She left for heavenly abode on 13 December 1986 at the age of 31 due to childbirth complications. Many movies were released after her death.
On her birth anniversary, here’s looking at lesser-known facts about Smita Patil:
- Many do not know that she was an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India (Pune)
- She started off her career as a TV news anchor.
- She was a newsreader with Doordarshan.
- Filmmaker Shyam Benegal noticed her one day and offered her not one but three movies- Charandas Chor, Manthan, and Nishant.
- She was an active feminist and also a member of the Mumbai Women’s Centre.
- She gave away all the money she received from her first national award to charity.
- She had many personal phobias and paranoias.
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