Smita Patil (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi and Marathi films. Regarded among the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she was known for her unconventional portrayal of strong and independent women. Patil appeared in over 80 films, in a career that spanned over a decade and was the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Maharashtra State Film Award and two Filmfare Awards Marathi. In 1985, Patil received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.
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 (1976), 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 (1987), Amrit (1986), Dance Dance (1987) 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, with whom she had a son, actor Prateik Smita Patil. 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.
Smita Patil was born on 17 October 1955, in Pune, Maharashtra into a Hindu-Marathi family, to a Maharashtrian politician father, Shivajirao Girdhar Patil and social worker mother Vidyatai Patil, from Shirpur town of Khandesh province of Maharashtra. She has two sisters, Dr. Anita Patil Deshmukh, a faculty neonatologist and Manya Patil Seth, a costume designer.
As a child, Patil 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 mov's election as a cabinet minister.
Debut and early success (1974–1980)
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. Patil attended the Cannes Film Festival in 1976 with Shabana Azmi and Shyam Benegal for the film Nishant. Patil won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi for her performance in Jait Re Jait in 1977.
Acclaim in parallel cinema and stardom (1981–1987)
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 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.
Patil went onto star in Bazaar (1982) 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. Patil's performance in the marital drama Arth (1982) was highly appreciated. For her portrayal as "the other woman" while acting opposite Shabana Azmi, she earned a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. During this time, she also starred in several notable Marathi film Umbartha (1982), winning her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi for her performance in the films.
Patil gradually moved to more commercial cinema. In an interview, she stated:"I remained committed to small cinema for about five years ... I refused all commercial offers. Around 1977–78, the small cinema movement started picking up and they needed names. I was unceremoniously dropped from a couple of projects. This was a very subtle thing but it affected me a lot. I told myself that here I am and I have not bothered to make money. I have turned down big, commercial offers because of my commitment to small cinema and what have I got in return? If they want names I'll make a name for myself. So I started and took whatever came my way."
In time, commercial filmmakers like Raj Khosla, Ramesh Sippy and B.R. Chopra offered her roles, agreeing that she was "excellent". Her fans, too, grew with her new-found stardom. Patil's glamorous roles in her more commercial films, such as Shakti (1982) and Namak Halaal (1982) with Amitabh Bachchan. She showed that one can act in both, "serious" cinema and the "Hindi cinema" masala in the Hindi film industry. However, her sister Manya Patil Seth stated, "Smita was never comfortable in big-budget movies. She wept her heart out after performing the rain dance with Mr Bachchan in Namak Halaal; she felt she wasn't doing the right thing." In 1984, she served as a jury member of the Montreal World Film Festival. Patil acted with Raj Babbar in films such as Bheegi Palkein, Tajurba, Aaj Ki Awaaz, Awam and Hum Do Hamare Do and later fell in love with him.
Director C. V. Sridhar was the first one to pair her opposite Rajesh Khanna in Dil-E-Nadan in 1982. After the success of this film, Patil and Khanna were paired in successful films like Aakhir Kyon?, Anokha Rishta, Angaarey, Nazrana, Amrit. With the release of Aakhir Kyon? her popularity and her pairing with Khanna were at its peak. The songs "Dushman Na Kare Dost Ne Woh" and "Ek Andhera Lakh Sitare" from Aakhir Kyon? were chartbusters. Each of these films were different and dealt with various social issues. Their performances were critically acclaimed. In 1986, Amrit directed by Mohan Kumar became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year. Nazrana, co-starring Sridevi released posthumously and became a box office success and was among the top 10 films of 1987.
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. 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".