Lalita Pawar Birth Anniversary: Lesser-known facts about television's original 'Manthara'

Late actress Lalita Pawar is one of the most prominent faces when it comes to the history of cinema in India.

Having acted in over 700 films in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, Pawar became a household name after her portrayal of 'Manthara' in Ramanand Sagar's version of the epic 'Ramayan'.

She was known particularly for playing maternal figures, especially wicked matriarchs or mothers-in-law. She also notably played the strict but kind Mrs L D'Sa in Anari (1959) with Raj Kapoor. Under Hrishikesh Mukherjee's direction, she gave the performance of a lifetime, for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

On the actress' 106th birth anniversary, here's a look at some lesser-known facts about Lalita Pawar:

- Lalita Pawar started her acting career at the age of 9 in the film 'Raja Harishchandra', which is often regarded as the first full-length Indian feature film.

- She holds a Guinness world record of longest acting career spanning over 70 years.

- She was honoured by the Government of India as the first lady of Indian cinema in 1961.

- In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie 'Jung-E-Azadi', actor Master Bhagwan was to slap her hard. Being a new actor, he accidentally slapped her very hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left eye vein. Three years of treatment later, she was left with a defective left eye and thus she had to abandon lead roles, switching to character roles, which won her much of her fame later in life.

- Lalita Pawar died a lonely death in her bungalow. Her body was found when the police broke in into her house after she stopped responding to phone calls.

Published on: Sunday, April 17, 2022, 02:20 PM IST