Gajanan Digambar Madgulkar 1919-77)

Marathi scenarist, songwriter, actor and poet. First film as lyric writer: Bedekar’s Pahila Palna (1942), which was also his acting début. Achieved prominence in the 50s via his popular film songs on the radio and on discs which, following the spread of playback, evolved the bhava geet: orchestrated songs of about three minutes duration using simple emotive lyrics. His texts were mainly sung and orchestrated by Sudhir Phadke, their Geet Ramayan record series of 1957 remaining very popular with the Marathi middle class and a precursor of the 70s bhajan craze. Often wrote for Raja Paranjpe (Jivacha Sakha, 1948; Pudhcha Paool, 1950; Lakhachi Goshta and Pedgaonche Shahane, both 1952; Oon Paoos, 1954; Ganget Ghoda Nhala, 1955; Andhala Magto Ek Dola and Deoghar, both 1956; Pathlaag, 1964). This work dominated the Marathi cinema in the 50s and 60s and is associated with the shift, on the formation of the state of Maharashtra, to a concern with Marathi identity accompanied by the creation of industrial infrastructures (and audiences) based on regional capital. First script, Shantaram’s Lokshahir Ramjoshi/ Matwala Shayar Ramjoshi (1947; also act), launched the gramin chitrapat genre of ‘rural’ film typically using dialect, located in a village and telling of a power struggle between a good peasant lad and an evil sarpanch (village elder). Also wrote scripts for Dinkar D. Patil, the best-known Marathi director in the genre (Baap Mazha Brahmachari and Prem Andhala Asta, both 1962). However, where Patil used the genre as an indigenous version of the western, Madgulkar’s scripts conveyed a sense of political awareness in line with e.g. Vyankatesh Madgulkar’s stories about rural characters. Wrote prose melodramas, e.g. for Dharmadhikari (e.g. Bala Jo Jo Re, 1951; Stree Janma Hi Tujhi Kahani, 1952). Also adapted mythologicals and historicals to the studios’ industrial requirements (e.g. Maya Bazaar, 1949; Shri Krishna Darshan, 1950; Narveer Tanaji, 1952). Acted in e.g. Pedgaonche Shahane, Jeet Kiski (both 1952), Banwasi, Adalat (both 1948).

Writer

Actor