NEW DELHI: Noted Marathi actor Nilu Phule expired this morning in Pune after a prolonged illness. The actor who was 78 was suffering from Cancer of the Oesophagus and was admitted to the hospital on July 5. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Born in 1931 in Pune, Phule is best remembered for his performance in Sakahram Binder – the famous play written by Vijay Tendulkar.
Begining his career in films with Ek Gaon Bara Bhanagadi, Phule went on to act in nearly 250 Marathi and Hindi films. Some of his noted films include V Shantaram‘s Pinjara, Dr Jabbar Patel‘s Samana and Sinhasan, Pudhache Paul directed by Rajdutt, Choricha Mamla directed by Babasaheb Fatehlal among others.
His major Hindi films include Mahesh Bhatt‘s Saaransh, Manmohan Desai‘s Coolie and Yash Chopra‘s Mashal.
Incidentally, Phule was the only actor to win the state government‘s ‘Best Actor‘ award consecutively for three years. He was also honoured by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Condoling Phule‘s death, the Information & Broadcasting Minister, Ambika Soni said that the versatile actor would be remembered for his strong social commitment apart from his contribution to Marathi theatre and films. Describing Phule as one of the finest and most loved Marathi actors in performing arts, the Minister said that the void created by his death would be hard to fill.
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