Raja Nene (1912-75)'
Hindi and Marathi director, actor and producer originally called Gajanan Hari Nene. Nephew of Vishnupant Damle who got him a job at Prabhat Studio as assistant director. Assisted Shantaram on Chandrasena (1935) and Amar Jyoti (1936); he was a key figure in the making of Sant Tukaram (1936) and of the subsequent Damle-Fattelal films, receiving cod credit for Sant Sakhu. Played the part of the boorish Pandit, son of Kakasaheb, in Shantaram’s classic Kunku/Duniya? Na Mane. Directed the successful Daha Wajta at Prabhat. Together with Athavale, Datta Dharmadhikari and Keshavrao Bhole, he walked out of the studio shortly afterwards, leaving the studio’s magnum opus Ramshastri (1944) incomplete. The group joined Mohan Studio to make Taramati. Started his own Raja Nene Prod. (1947) co-directing Dharmadhikari’s first film, Shadi Se Pehle. After Rajkamal Kalamandir, Nene Prod. was the second major production house to emerge from the Prabhat Studio and was followed by Dharmadhikari’s Alhaad Chitra. Nene’s next production was the classic Tamasha musical Patthe Bapurao, reserving the lead part for himself. Anant Mane later claimed to have ghost-directed this hit as well as Ketakichya Banaat. Pehli Tareekh, Nene’s most successful Hindi film, was remade in Kannada and Tamil by P. Neelakantan as Modalatedi (1955).
FILMOGRAPHY (* also act/ act only): 1937: Kunku/Duniya? Na Mane; 1941: Sant Sakhu; 1942: Daha Wajta/Das? Baje; 1944: Ramshastri; 1945: Taramati; 1946: Bachchon Ka Khel; Phir Bhi Apna Hai; 1947: Lalat; Shadi Se Pehle*; 1949: Sant Ramdas*; 1950: Ketakichya Banaat*; Patthe Bapurao*; 1951: Shri Vishnu Bhagwan; 1952: Indrasan; Lanka Dahan; Rajrani Damayanti; 1954: Hanuman Janma; Pehli Tareekh; Radha Krishna; 1957: Pahila Prem*; 1958: Gauri Shankar; 1959: Yala Jeevan Aise Nav; 1964: Tuka Jhalase Kalasa.