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Dr
Kashinath Ghanekar Award for Ramesh Bhatkar
This year’s Dr Kashinath Ghanekar Memorial Award was
presented to Ramesh Bhatkar, the well-known stage, cinema
and TV actor, at the hands of Maharashtra’s minister
for cultural affairs, Prof Ramkrishna More, at a function
held in Mumbai at the Shivaji Mandir on March 4. The award
consists of Rs 10,000, a scroll and a memento.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister recalled that the late
Dr Kashinath Ghanekar was a stormy petrel of Marathi stage
and each and every role he essayed on the stage bore his own
distinct stamp. The late actor did full justice to the roles
written by all those playwrights whose writings enriched and
enlivened the Marathi stage.
Ramesh Bhatkar was visibly moved as he addressed the gathering
after receiving the award. “I have been acting in plays
and films for the past so many years,” he said, “but
this is the first award I have received in my acting career.
The award is very precious to me because it is in the name
of Dr Ghanekar, my most favourite actor. I began my stage
career with Ashrunchi Jhaali Phule by essaying the character
of Lalya, a role made memorable by Dr Ghanekar who used to
enact it so effortlessly. In fact, it was he who gave me some
valuable tips as to how I should essay the character in order
to get spectator appreciation and applause.”
The second Dr Kashinath Memorial Award comprising Rs 7,000
and a scroll was presented to actress Suhasini Deshpande,
while the third award consisting of Rs 5,000 and a scroll
was presented posthumously to photographer Uday Mithbaonkar,
whose son Sanket accepted it.
The awards presentation function was presided over by veteran
stage actor Prabhakar Panshikar and was graced among others
by Sushilkumar Shinde and veteran actress Sulochana.
Lacklustre period for Marathi industry
The Marathi film industry is passing through a critical period
at the moment. During the first couple of months of this year,
very few new films were launched or released and from among
those which were released, none has been able to make a mark
at the box-office. The Marathi-speaking audiences appear to
have ignored the newly released films. The only reasons for
the audience non-interest could be the poor thematic quality
of the released films or the unconvincing and lack-lustre
presentation of palatable or interesting themes. The view
that the Marathi knowing audiences have deserted the Marathi
film does not hold water. Else, how can one explain the bumper
box-office takings of the late Dada Kondke’s movies even
in their repeat runs?
Be that as it may, there are several films which were released
in a few centres of Maharashtra but have not yet opened in
the two main cities, Mumbai and Pune. One of the reasons for
this could be that the audience response to the films at the
release centres was not at all encouraging. The other reason
could be the non-availability of theatres at these two main
cities on reasonable rentals. Besides these films, there are
others like Sakhi Maazi, Saakharpuda and Karaaycha Te Danakyaat
which have been already certified by the Central Board of
Film Certification but haven’t been released yet for
one reason or the other. There are also films which have been
launched but not progressed beyond the recording of songs
or a few days’ shoots. No one knows when the filming
of these movies will be resumed. In sum, the industry today
presents a gloomy picture and it is high time the Marathi
Chitrapat Mahamandal and the Marathi Chitrapat Nirmata Mandal
take stock and suggest ways to remedy the situation.
Pandit Shimpi
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