Smita Patil was one of the finest actresses of Bollywood. In a male-dominated world, She dared to break the stereotype and became a force to reckon with. When Smita’s contemporaries played demure, coy, and fragile characters, she broke the mould by portraying roles that challenged society’s norms.
The gorgeous dusky beauty ruled Indian cinema with her powerpack performances in movies like Manthan, Aakrosh, Arth, Mirch Masala, Waaris and many more. With more than 80 films in Hindi and other regional languages, Smita gave a new meaning to parallel cinema.
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Smita Patil is leading all the headlines as her film, Manthan is selected to be screened at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The film, which won two National Awards is the only Indian film selected to be screened at Cannes in 2024. While the cult classic shines at Cannes, let us revisit the life of the leading lady of the film, Smita Patil.
Smita Patil was far from the expectations set for a typical Bollywood heroine. She was unafraid to voice her opinion, portrayed complex characters and experimented with her roles. She was a trailblazer, who carved her own path and set her journey. Smita was a true artist, who had the ability to inhabit a character and do complete justice to it.
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In a career spanning over a decade, Smita Patil appeared in 80 films. Smita had a magnetic presence on the screen. In an interview with a leading daily, Smita spoke about her unconventional roles and said:
“I never wanted to be just another pretty face on the screen. I wanted to play characters that reflected the reality of women's lives, not the cookie-cutter heroines that were the norm."
When Smita became romantically involved with Raj Babbar, she received a lot of criticism as he was already a married man. Smita and Raj met on the sets of Bheegi Palkein and fell in love. Since Raj was already married to Nadira, Smita was tagged as a home-breaker, and she became the target of barbed criticism. Multiple reports claimed that Raj and Smita soon started living in a live-in relationship, which was criticised a lot. Not only that but after some time, Smita and Raj also got married.
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Smita's parents were not at all happy with her decision to be in a relationship with Raj. According to Smita Patil's biography, Smita Patil: A Brief Incandescence, written by prolific writer, Maithili Rao, the actress' mother, Vidyatai Patil, was against their relationship. The latter also asked Smita how she could become a home-breaker when she was herself a feminist.
Smita Patil was always committed towards her craft, so the actress refused to take maternity leave. In the film, Dance Dance, released in 1987, Smita played the role of Mithun Chakraborty's sister. The insider revealed that Smita announced her pregnancy shortly before the shoot of the song, Super Dancer, began. Since she was aware of the dance-centric theme of the film, the actress proposed shooting her close-up shots. Moreover, Smita even suggested wearing loose attire to conceal her baby bump. Smita was so committed to the project that she didn't want to take maternity leave, as it would have affected the film and the team.
Smita Patil passed away at the tender age of 31 on December 13, 1986, due to childbirth complications.
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