INDIA.Mumbai: Versatile Marathi stage and film actor Pradip Patwardhan passed away following a heart attack at his residence in Girgaon in South Mumbai on Tuesday morning. He was 64 and is survived by his wife Suvarna and married son Sritej and a grandson.
The last rites were performed at Chandanwadi crematorium on Tuesday evening. Many artists and theatre personalities including Jayant Wadkar, Pramod Pawar, Milind Wagh, and Lokesh Gupte attended the funeral.
Vijay Patkar, President of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal told the Transcontinental Times that he had spoken to Pradip before about a week. I lost a close friend. We knew each other for over 38 years and had done several projects. We studied together in college and also worked together in a bank.
“ We did a lot of one-act plays. Whenever I got a chance (as a director, or producer) I took him as an actor. He was a very good actor. He had called me eight days ago and said, let’s do some work together, alas, that won’t happen,” Patkar lamented.
Prasad Kambli a veteran theatre producer and the son of noted actor, director, and producer Macchindra Kambli said that “Pradeep Uncle was versatile to the core and although he was known for his comedy roles, he essayed different roles with perfection and perfect timing. He represented three generations of actors”.
Several leaders and actors including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and actress Renuka Shahane paid tributes to Pradeep Patwardhan.
Taking to Twitter, Shinde expressed his grief over the actor’s sudden demise and offered his condolences. “Pradeep Patwardhan, the evergreen actor who ruled the hearts of the audience with his graceful acting in Marathi cinema, passed away tragically. With his departure, the Marathi art world has lost a great artist,” he wrote in Marathi.
Pradeep Patwardhan was best known for his hit Marathi play “Moruchi Mavshi” written by veteran journalist, writer, and dramatist Pralhad Keshav Atre, based on the English play Charley’s Aunt. The play, a light-hearted comedy revolved around three college friends — Moru (Prashant Damle), Bhaiyya (Pradeep Patwardhan), and Bandya (Vijay Chavan). Pradeep Patwardhan was honoured by the Akhil Bharatiya Natya Parishad in 2019.
Besides plays, Pradeep Patwardhan also starred in several Marathi and Hindi films. His best works include Ek Full Chaar Half (1991), Dance Party (1995), Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy (2009), Gola Berij (2012), Bombay Velvet (2015), and Police Line (2016), Ek Don Tin Char 2016, Thank You Vithala ( 2017), Chirner (2019).
He was also a part of Anurag Kashyap’s 2015 release Bombay Velvet, which starred Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the lead.
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