#GoldenFrames: Lalita Pawar, the reigning queen of negative roles

Lalita Pawar, also known as Amba Laxman Rao Sagun, was born on April 18, 1916, to an orthodox family in Yeola in Nashik. Lalita's father was a wealthy silk and cotton piece-goods merchant. She started her acting career at age nine in the movie ‘Raja Harishchandra’ (1928), followed by lead roles in the silent era. The actress co-produced and acted in a silent movie ‘Kailash’ (1932), and later produced another movie, a talkie ‘Duniya Kya Hai’ (1938). Lalita's career lasted until the end of her life, spanning seven decades. She worked in over 700 movies in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati cinema. The actress won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in ‘Anari’ (1959) and was honoured by the government of India for being the first lady of Indian cinema with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama) - Acting in 1961. Lalita was known mainly for playing maternal figures, especially wicked matriarchs or mothers-in-law.

Pic Courtesy : BCCL

Young and confident Lalita Pawar got her first acting job by accident. She had come to see Ramleela thinking it was a play but landed a role in the movie. The director was impressed with her screen presence and asked her to take the role.

In This Pic : Lalita Pawar, golden frames

Amidst the shoot, Lalita's father had plans to visit her mother. Not knowing the situation's significance, both father and daughter were ready to leave until the filmmaker requested him to let Lalita stay with the crew for some days. When the news reached her mother, she thought Lalita was sold to someone, which created a rift between her parents.

In This Pic : Lalita Pawar, golden frames

Lalita was brought up like a son by her father, and he equally loved her brother Shantaram Sagun. After her parents' separation, the actress's father took care of his kids and never remarried. Lalita's brother Shantaram worked in the movie lab for a while, then a cameraman assistant and did a few minor roles in the movies. He also took care of Lalita's properties and other jobs while she was busy shooting.

In This Pic : Lalita Pawar, golden frames

She was a young artist in the Aryan Film Company, who earned ₹18 per month. The actress had no formal education.

In This Pic : Lalita Pawar, golden frames