Shreeram Lagoo

Dr.Shreeram Lagoo was the first actor to play Natasamrat

 

At the age of 42 years Dr. Lagoo began profession theatre with the play the Oshalala Mrityu written by Vasant Kanetkar. The play was instant hit.

 

But the best was yet to come when he staged the famous Marathi play Natasamrat written by Marathi legendary playwright Kusumagraj (Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, who won - Sahitya Akademi Award for the same play).

 

The play was first staged in 1969 and Dr Shreeram Lagoo is the first actor to play the role of Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar alias Natasamrat. In this play Dr. Lagoo poured his emotions and pathos of the character so realistically that the audience went berserk and the play created history.

 

Dr Lagoo did many hundred stage shows of the play in India and aboard and became a name to reckon in theatre world.

 

Dr. Shreeram Lagoo gave new impetus to Marathi Cinema

  

In the mid-70 when Marathi Cinema was slowly losing its sheen due to the advent of double-meaning laced comedy films of Dada Kondke.

 

In such an era Dr.Shreeram Lagoo revived quality cinema with strong content and high level performances. Movies like Pinjara, Samna and Sinhasan. gave a new lease of life to Marathi Cinema.

 

 In fact, Dr.Lagoo also played a lion’s share in taking Marathi cinema and Marathi Theatre to International heights.

 

Dr. Shreeram Lagoo left his imprints in Bollywood

 

For an actor of the caliber of Dr Shreeram Lagoo, Bollywood had nothing much to offer but still Dr Shreeram Lagoo left his imprint in Bollywood.

 

Among his memorable roles include Gulzaar’s Gharaonda in which he played an aged husband of a young girl. The role was tailor made for Dr.Lagoo and he well deservedly won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award. The award made Dr.Lagoo quite popular in Bollywood and he was flooded with character roles.

 

However most of the roles were mundane typical uncle/ father kind of roles but Dr. Lagoo did got some strong roles like the alcoholic father in Lawaris, the loving father of three daughters who suffers cancer in Saajan Bina Suhagan or the handicapped senior lawyer in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar etc

 

He also got opportunity act opposite thespian Dilip Kumar in Vidhaata, Amitabh Bachchan in Laawaris and another great actor Sanjeev Kumar in Devata.  

 

His other hits are Inkaar, Hera Pheri, Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Gehrayee, Kishen Kanhaiya, Souten etc.

 

He also played an important role in Hollywood film Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough.

 

 

Awards

 

 

Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in Gharaonda(1978)

Kalidas Samman (1997)

Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratisthan for his contribution to cinema and theater (2006)

 

2010, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2010)

 

 

Other works

 

 

Milestones

 

 

With Pinjara Dr.Shreeram Lagoo became immortal

 

Though with Natasamart Dr. Shreeram Lagoo introduced his acting prowess in the world of theatre but it was Marathi film wizard V.Shantaram’s Marathi film Pinjara that established Dr.Shreeram Lagoo as an actor par excellence in Indian Cinema.

 

He played the protagonist school teacher, who is an upright teacher and tries to educate the illiterate villagers and stops them from the vice of alcohol and womanizing.

 

However, ironically, he himself is trapped in the charm of a beautiful dancer. The role was challenging and demanded a quality actor who could portray the gradual transformation of his character from a respected teacher to a disgraceful alcoholic fallen in the dirty muck of wine and woman!

 

Dr. Lagoo played the contrasting personalities so convincingly that he became immortalized in the annals of Indian Cinema. Just as Dilip Kumar will be remembered for his role in Ganga Jamna or Amitabh Bachchan in Deewaar likewise generations shall remember Dr.Shreeram Lagoo in Pinjara.