Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India.[1] His production of Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre.[2] He has received several accolades, including seven National Film Awards, eight Maharashtra State Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards Marathi. Patel received Filmfare Marathi Lifetime Achievement Award at 7th Filmfare Awards Marathi.[3] He was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1978. In 2005, he was honoured with the V. Shantaram Award, Maharashtra's highest award in the field of cinema.[4] In 1982, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country.[5]

Dr. Jabbar Patel
Patel in December 2010
Born (1942-06-23) 23 June 1942 (age 82)
Occupations
  • Theatre
  • film director
Years active1973–present
Honours

He is the maker of classics films in Marathi cinema, like, Samna, Jait Re Jait (Mohan Agashe, Smita Patil), Umbartha (Smita Patil, Girish Karnad), Sinhasan (Nana Patekar, Shriram Lagoo, Reema Lagoo) Some of his other films are, Mukta, Ek Hota Vidushak, and Musafir (Hindi). His most acclaimed film is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar released in 1999.[6] He won the 1995 Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration for his Marathi film, Mukta.[7]

Personal life

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Patel was born in 1942 in Pandharpur in present day Indian state of Maharashtra. While growing up, his family was the only Muslim family in a Hindu-Brahmin neighbourhood of Solapur.[8] His father was employed in Indian Railways. He obtained his early school education in Haribhai Deokaran High school Solapur. He qualified as a doctor, specialising in paediatric medicine from B. J. Medical College in Pune. He and his wife, a gynecologist ran a clinic in Daund near Pune. The couple have two daughters.[9]

Career

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Patel started acting while in elementary school. In Solapur, he lived with Shriram Pujari, who was an influential personality in that city. Staying at his home, Jabbar Patel was able to take a closer look at the people from Marathi theatre world who used to stay at the Pujari residence. The roles he played in his high school play Chaphekar, in the silent drama, Hadacha Zunzar Aahes Tu, as well of Shyam in Tujha Aahe Tujpashi while in college were appreciated.

Patel started his career with the Marathi experimental theatre group, Progressive Dramatic association (PDA) founded by Bhalba Kelkar. In PDA produced plays, he acted as well as directed. He directed Vijay tendulkar's Ashi Pakhare Yeti for PDA which was a great commercial success. In 1972, Patel and colleagues such as Mohan Agashe, and Satish Alekar broke away from PDA over differences on staging their new production, Ghashiram Kotwal written by Vijay Tendulkar.[10] They formed a new group called Theatre Academy. After Ghashiram Kotwal, the group produced Teen Paishacha Tamasha, an adaptation of Brecht's Threepenny Opera in 1974.[11]

He wrote the lyrics of the song "Raya Asa Zombu Naka Angala" from the film Samna. He has worked on the film based on the life and work of Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.[12]

For Jabbar Patel, tackling a political subject is not something new. Whether it was Umbartha, Jait Re Jait, or Sinhasan for the silver screen, or Ghashiram Kotwal for the stage, he has handled political subjects. His recent film is also political based "Yashwantrao Chavan: Bakhar Eka Vaadalaachi".[13]

Jait Re Jait (1977) is a musical milestone in the history of Indian cinema, and expresses the stories of a forgotten tribe through dance and a total of 19 songs.[14] Next came Sinhasan (1981) made in a montage style with 35 characters, both won the National Awards.[15] One of Patel’s most acclaimed works is Umbartha (1981), a film featuring Smita Patil as the superintendent of a woman’s reform home.[16]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Producer Notes
1974 Samna Yes Debut film
1977 Jait Re Jait Yes National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film
1979 Sinhasan Yes Yes Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Film
1982 Umbartha Yes Yes National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film, Filmfare Award for Best Film – Marathi
1986 Musafir Yes Yes
Maharashtra Yes Yes Documentary film
1987 Mi SM Yes Yes
1988 Pathik Yes Yes
1989 Laxman Joshi Yes Yes
1990 Forts of Maharashtra Yes Yes
Indian Theatre Yes Yes
1991 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Yes Yes
1992 Ek Hota Vidushak Yes National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film
1994 Mukta Yes Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
2000 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Yes
2006 Hans Akela - Kumar Gandharva Yes National Film Award for Best Biographical Film
2006 Teesri Azadi Yes
2007 Antardhwani: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Yes
2014 Yashwantrao Chavan: Bakhar Eka Vaadalaachi Yes Yes

Festival circuit

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Jabbar Patel is the chairman of the Pune Film Foundation, and the festival director of the Pune International Film Festival. First Edition of PIFF was started in year 2002 and has been running annually.

References

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  1. ^ "'An artist is a spokesperson of present': Jabbar Patel". The Hindu. 7 February 2016. ISSN 0971-751X.
  2. ^ Performance Tradition and Modern Theatre Archived 11 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Filmfare Awards Marathi 2022: Prasad Oak, Sayali Sanjeev Bag Top Honours, Godavari Named Best Film. Full Winners List". Zoom TV. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Maharashtra confers Raj Kapoor awards on Nihalani, Shabana and Jabbar". The Times of India. 28 February 2011. ISSN 0971-8257.
  5. ^ "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2014)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 21 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Resurgence of an icon Babasaheb Ambedkar". 8 April 2016.
  7. ^ Kulkarni, Damini (7 January 2018). "Classics revisited: Jabbar Patel's Ambedkar biopic is a portrait of both the man and the legend". Scroll.in.
  8. ^ "Luminaries slam communal mindsets". Times of India. 5 July 2003. Sharing anecdotes from his childhood, he described how his family was the only Muslim family in a Hindu brahmin neighbourhood in Solapur and yet, it was his courtyard that was used for Ganesh festival celebrations.
  9. ^ "पटेल, जब्बार रझाक". महाराष्ट्र नायक. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  10. ^ Malvika Maheshwari (16 October 2018). "Post Script:The Dissent to Violence". Art Attacks: Violence and Offence-Taking in India. OUP India. ISBN 978-0-19-909378-6.
  11. ^ "chaos- magazine". Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Article from". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Yashwantrao Chavan: Bakhar Eka Vaadalaachi releasing on 14th March". Loksatta (in Marathi). 10 March 2014.
  14. ^ "Dread of 'Jait Re Jait' is really the reality | 'जैत रे जैत' चे भयाण वास्तव | Lokmat.com". LOKMAT (in Marathi). 7 October 2016.
  15. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (26 September 2017). "Classics revisited: 'Sinhasan' is Marathi cinema's own game of thrones". Scroll.in.
  16. ^ Goenka, Tula (2014). Not Only Bollywood. Om Books International, 2014. ISBN 9789381607176.
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