Chittaranjan Kolhatkar

Chittaranjan Kolhatkar was an Indian film and theatre artist. He was known for his comedy and negative roles. He was born on 15 January, 1923 in Amravati district of Maharashtra. His father's name was Chintaman Ganesh Kolhatkar, who was also an eminent actor. He was a follower of Hindu religion. He was a versatile actor and political activist.

He began his film career in 1944, appearing in the film "GARIBANCHE RAJYA". His theatre debut was in "BHAVBANDHAN" written by Ram Ganesh Gadkari. His dual performance in the play was highly acclaimed by people.

In the play, he performed the dual role of a villain and a comedian. Before that, he worked with Kalaniketan theatre as a prompter. He acted in more than 100 films. His outstanding performance is seen in films naming PEDGAVCHE SHAHANE, which is a 1952 movie directed by Raja Paranjape Considered One Of The Most Iconic And Visionary Pe >> Read More... . He also played a lead role opposite to Shantabai Apte in Kunkwacha Dhani.

He was also a part of acclaimed Marathi plays like "OSHA MRUTYU",  "ASHROONCHI ZHALI PHULE" - is an award-winning Marathi play by Vasant Shankar Kanetkar;1984 movie Mashaal is also based on this play. "VISHAVRUKSHA CHI CHHAYA" play strongly reflects his versatile acting.

The play which brought him immense popularity was Ekach Pyala. In which he also proved his acting skills and made popular the character of Sudhakar and Taliram. With the great performance of work in both films and theatre spanning over six decades, his last released movie was "Agnidivya" in which he played the role of Swamiji.

He received various awards including the Maharashtra State Award for his excellent performance in Hirva Chuda play. He has also served as President of All India Dramatics Federation.

He was a staunch follower of Hinduism. Politically, Kolhatkar was a firm supporter of Hindu Nationalist political ideology "Hindutva".

Chittaranjan Kolhatkar was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, after he had a fall at his home in Pune on 13 October, 2009. On 25 October, he suffered a heart attack and died, aged 86. He is survived by a Son Anand, three Daughters - Tara, Ujjwala and Varsha and wife Vihuela.

He is known for his dedication towards every character he performed. He also successfully played some villainous roles in his career. He worked hard to promote theatre groups in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra by setting up a Temporary structure for open theatre. With his sad demise, Marathi film and theatre industry has lost a great actor.