'NATASAMRAT' finally takes exit...leaving behind rich legacy!
Total Views |
New Delhi, December 18: 92-year old veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passed away in Pune last night. A stalwart in Marathi cinema, a prolific character artist, an astute tightrope walker, a true Natasamrat finally took exit.
Born in Satara in 1927 and trained as an ENT surgeon by profession, Lagoo played a memorable role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in post-Independence era alongside Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta and Arvind Deshpande. He described his childhood self as a 'bathroom actor', caught between a desperate love for theatre and a deep fear of audiences.
He would declaim classical Marathi monologues performed by the likes of Nanasaheb Phatak, Keshavrao Daate and Mama Pendse in the style of British and American actors while locked in his room. he could convey deep emotions with little more than a glance or gesture.
Lagoo in fact did not become a commercial actor until he reached his 40s. He remained a surgeon and worked in a hospital in Kenya for some years. Lagoo quit medicine in 1969 at the age of 42 and returned to India, determined to pursue a career in theatre. After a few months of struggle, he bagged the role of Sambhaji, the son of the Maratha king Shivaji, in Vasant Kanetkar’s Ithe Oshalala Mrityu. Although his initial plays were not commercially successful, Lagoo’s obvious talent attracted attention.
Shriram Lagoo’s career in theatre reached a high in 1970 with V V Shirwadkar’s Natsamrat, in which he played Ganpatrao Belwalkar, a thespian who retires from the stage after portraying Shakespearean characters but is unable to escape the drama of familial clashes. The demands of the character were so intense, and Lagoo’s immersion in the part so complete, that the play was regarded as the cause of his deteriorating health at the time.
Lagoo, affectionately known in theatre circles as 'Doctor', was also known for his progressive and rationalist views. He was also instrumental in setting up 'Saamajik Krutadnyta Nidhi' (social gratitude fund) for social workers.
“I studied and tried out acting methods of masters like Stanislovsky and Brekht but then I evolved my own style. I don’t believe in total involvement of the actor into a character. Actor has to remain distant and detached from the character but his technique should be such that audience should feel as if he is living the character," said Dr. Lagoo in an interview