Smita Patil (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian film and theatre actress. Patil is regarded among the finest and greatest stage and film actresses in the history of Indian cinema. She appeared in over 80 films in several languages, but mostly in Hindi and Marathi, in a career that spanned just over a decade. Patil is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, two Filmfare Awards Marathi and received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1985.
Patil made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975). She became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, a New Wave movement in India cinema, though she also appeared in several mainstream movies throughout her career. Her performances were highly acclaimed, and her most notable roles include Manthan (1977), Bhumika (1977) for which she won her first National Film Award for Best Actress, Jait Re Jait (1978), Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981) which earned her a second National Film Award for Best Actress and her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Namak Halaal (1982), Bazaar (1982), Umbartha (1982), Shakti (1982), Arth (1982), Ardh Satya (1983), Mandi (1983), Aaj Ki Awaaz (1984), Chidambaram (1985), Mirch Masala (1985), Amrit (1986) and Waaris (1988).
Apart from acting, Patil was an active feminist and a member of the Women's Centre in Mumbai. She was deeply committed to the advancement of women's issues and gave her endorsement to films which sought to explore the role of women in traditional Indian society, their sexuality, and the changes facing the middle-class woman in an urban milieu.
Patil was married to actor Raj Babbar. She died on 13 December 1986 at the age of 31 due to childbirth complications. Over ten of her films were released after her death. Her son Prateik Babbar is a film actor who made his debut in 2008.
Early life
Smita Patil was born in Pune to a Maharashtrian politician, Shivajirao Girdhar Patil and social worker mother Vidyatai Patil, from Shirpur town of Khandesh province of Maharashtra. As a child, she participated in dramas.
Patil studied literature at University of Mumbai and was a part of local theatre groups in Pune and spent much of her time at the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), causing many to mistake her for an alumna. The family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1969, following her father's election as a cabinet minister.
Career
Patil was a part of the radically political cinema of the 1970s, which included actresses such as Shabana Azmi and Deepti Naval. Her work includes films with parallel cinema directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Satyajit Ray (Sadgati, 1981), G. Aravindan (Chidambaram, 1985) and Mrinal Sen as well as forays into the more commercial Hindi film industry cinema of Mumbai. In her films, Patil's character often represents an intelligent femininity that stands in relief against the conventional background of male-dominated cinema. Patil was a women's rights activist and became famous for her roles in films that portrayed women as capable and empowered.
Patil began her career in the early 1970s as a television newsreader on the newly transmitting Mumbai Doordarshan, the Indian government run broadcaster. Her first film role was in the FTII student film Teevra Madhyam by Arun Khopkar. Shyam Benegal then discovered her and cast her in his 1974 children's film, Charandas Chor. Patil's first major role was in his other film, Manthan, in which she played a Harijan woman who leads the revolt of the milk co-operative.
Patil then won her first National Film Award for Best Actress and her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Hindi film Bhumika, just three years after her debut. The film, in which she portrays an actress leading a tumultuous life through sudden fame and stardom, brought her talent to the attention of the world. She also received widespread critical acclaim for her performances in Chakra (1981), which earned her a second National Film Award for Best Actress and her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress. As a part of her preparation for the role of a slum-dweller, Patil used to visit the slums in Bombay during the making of Chakra.