Smita Patil

Smita Patil was a leading actress of Bollywood who won the heart of millions with her natural acting skills. She was born in1955, in Pune. Her mother was a minister and a social-worker. She studied at a Marathi medium school in Pune and graduated from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. She was married to Raj Babbar, the Hindi film actor . 

Smita Patil entered Bollywood after a brief stint as a TV news reader. Shyam Benegal casted her in the children's film Charandas Chor (1975), and offered a short role in Nishant (1975). Her first major role was Benegal's Manthan, here she plays the role of a woman who leads a Harijan revolt. Next was Benegal's Bhumika, which was a biography of Indian actress Hansa Wadkar. Smita strongly believed in realistic cinema and did films like Gaman, (1979) and Chakra, (1981). Govind Nihalani's Aakrosh is another feather in her cap, where she played the role of a tribal woman who is brutally raped and murdered. In 1981, she worked with Satyajit Ray in his tele film Sadgati. She worked with distinguished film directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Mrinal Sen. 

Most of Smita Patil's films represents femininity that stands against male-dominated society. She has also acted commercial films, her glamorous roles in the films like Shakti and Namak Halaal are still remembered. She even acted in regional movies like Marathi movie Jait Re Jait [1978], Mrinal Sen's Bengali film Akaler Sandhaney [1980] and Ketan Mehta's much acclaimed debut in Gujarati cinema, Bhavni Bhavai [1980]. 

Smita Patil had the exceptional ability to stand out, even in a supporting role, evident in the films Govind Nihalani's Ardh Satya, Aaj Ki Awaaz and J P Dutta's Ghulami. In the mid-1980s she did several films with Rajesh Khanna such as Aakhir Kyon (1985), Amrit (1986) and Nazrana (1987). In 1987, she received accolades for playing the role of brave and fiery Sonbai in Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala. 

She has worked with wonderful directors like Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, and Mrinal Sen. She has performed in a number of Hindi and Marathi films. She is the queen of Indian cinema. For some time, she also took the job of a TV news reader. She was a great photographer. She was a multifaceted personality. She had dominated the Indian film industry during the 1970s and 1980s. Smita was an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. In the year 1977, she received the National Award for best actress for her remarkable performance in the film Bhumika. In most of her films, she was portrayed as a very strong woman, who is able to endure the pressures created by the male dominated society. Apart from being an actress, she was also an activist who raised several women issues. She tied her wedding knots with the well known Bollywood actor Raj Babbar. She did not survive for long. Due to complications arising from the birth of son, she died on the December 13, 1986.