Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (alternatively written as Pu La Deshpande; 8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

writer and humorist from

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. He was also an accomplished film and stage actor, script writer, author, composer, musician, singer and orator. He was often referred to as "Maharashtra's beloved personality". Deshpande's works have been translated into several languages including English and

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

Early life

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was born in Gamdevi Street, Chowpati,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

in a

Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd), also known as Shenvis are a Hindu community of contested caste status and identity. They primarily speak Konkani and its various dialects as their mother tongue. They claim to be Saraswat Bra ...

(GSB) family to Laxman Trimbak Deshpande and Laxmibai Laxman Deshpande. His maternal grandfather,

Vaman Mangesh Dubhashi Vaman Mangesh Dubhashi , with the pen name "Rigvedi" or as "Rugvedi" was a Marathi poet and writer from Karwar, India. Famous works Dubhashi had translated Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' () is a collection of poem ...

, was a Marathi poet and writer. He had translated

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Gitanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' () is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, '' Song Offerings'', making him the first non-European and the fi ...

into Marathi, with the title, "''Abhang Gitanjali''". The family used to stay at Kenway House, Procter Road in the

Grant Road Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

locality in Mumbai. His family then moved to

Jogeshwari Jogeshwari (Pronunciation: ͡ʒoɡeːʃʋəɾiː is a suburb located in the western part of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is notable for its caves - 'Jogeshwari Caves', particularly one containing a shrine of the Hindu Hindus (; ; ...

. His first 8 years at the newly formed Saraswati Baug Colony are described in the story titled 'Balpanicha Kaal Sukhacha' or ''Bālpaṇicā Kāḷ Sukhācā'' (translation: the happy days of childhood) in his book ''Purchundi''. The family then moved to

Vile Parle Vile Parle (, also known as Parla), is a suburb and also the name of the railway station in the Western suburb of Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state o ...

Education

Deshpande studied at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya. He attended

Ismail Yusuf College Ismail Yusuf College, is the fourth oldest college of Mumbai, India. ''"I Y college"'', as it is popularly known, is managed by Government of Maharashtra. It is the oldest college in North Mumbai. It was established in 1930 with a large donati ...

after high school and then

Fergusson College Fergusson College is an autonomous public-private college offering various courses in the streams of arts and science in the city of Pune, India. It was founded in 1885 by Vaman Shriram Apte, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vishnushashtri Chiplunkar, Mah ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

for BA. Later, he attended

Government Law College, Mumbai The Government Law College, Mumbai, (GLC Mumbai), India, founded in 1855, is the oldest law school in Asia. The college, affiliated to the University of Mumbai, is run by the Government of Maharashtra. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Pratibha Patil, the ...

for

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

. He completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1950 and then a Master of Arts (MA) degree from Willingdon College,

Sangli Sangli (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Sāṁgalī''; ) is a metropolitan town and the headquarters of Sangli District in Maharashtra, in south-western India. It has earned the nickname "Turmeric City of India" for being the hub of the Asia's largest produ ...

. He also took lessons in playing the harmonium from Dattopant Rajopadhye of ''Bhaskar Sangitalaya''.

Personal life

His first wife, Sundar Divadkar, died soon after their wedding. On 12 June 1946, Deshpande married his colleague, Sunita Thakur. She (Sunita Deshpande) was to go on to become an accomplished writer in her own right. The couple did not have any children of their own. They raised Sunitabai's nephew,

Dinesh Thakur Dinesh Thakur (1947 – 20 September 2012) was an Indian theatre director, actor in theatre, television and Hindi film, where most notably he appeared as one of the leads in '' Rajnigandha'' 1974 and directed by Basu Chatterjee, which won bot ...

as their own son. Pu La wrote on Dinesh in his book Gangot.

Professional life

Books

1."Vyakti Ani Valli" (व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली): This book is a collection of character sketches, portraying various eccentric personalities from Deshpande's life. Each character is brought to life with humor and wit, reflecting the diverse and colorful spectrum of human nature. 2."Batatyachi Chaal" (बटाट्याची चाळ): A humorous depiction of life in a chawl (a type of communal housing) in Mumbai, the book captures the quirky and endearing lives of its inhabitants, illustrating their daily struggles and camaraderie with a comedic touch. 3."Apoorvai" (अपूर्वाइ): This is a travelogue recounting Deshpande's experiences in Europe. Written with his characteristic humor, the book offers insightful and amusing observations about European culture and lifestyle. 4."Asa Mi Asami" (असा मी असामी): A satirical autobiography, this novel presents the life of a common man through a series of humorous episodes, highlighting the absurdities and ironies of middle-class existence in India. 5."Ti Phulrani" (ती फुलराणी): An adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," this Marathi play tells the story of a flower girl who is transformed into a refined lady under the guidance of a professor. It retains the original's critique of social class distinctions while adding Deshpande's unique comedic flair. 6."Jave Tyanchya Desha" (जावे त्यांच्या देशा): Another travelogue, this book describes Deshpande's visit to various countries, filled with humorous anecdotes and reflections on the cultural differences he encounters. 7."Guna Gaiin Awadi" (गुण गाईन आवडी): A collection of essays that blend humor with philosophical insights, showcasing Deshpande's ability to find comedy in everyday situations while pondering deeper meanings.

Educator

Both Deshpande and his wife served as teachers in Orient High School, Mumbai. He also worked for some years as a college professor in Rani Parvati Devi College,

Belgaum Belgaum (Kannada ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma'', ), officially known as Belagavi (also Belgaon), is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

and Kirti College in Mumbai.

Television

He also worked for

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

, the state-owned TV channel. He was the first person to interview the then Prime Minister,

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

, on Indian television. He was seconded to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

for a year-long training. After this, he spent some time in France and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. It was this specific period and stays in these countries that his later travelogue "Apoorvai" was to be based upon. His other travelogues are "Poorvaranga" and "Jave Tyanchya Desha".

Film and music

Deshpande was a man of many talents. Apart from writing, the talents he used in filmmaking included writing

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

s, directing, acting, composing music, and singing. He was instrumental in establishing the iconic

Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir The Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir is a drama theatre with an auditorium and exhibition hall located in Shivajinagar area of Pune, India. It is named after Marathi singer and stage actor, Bal Gandharva. The cornerstone for the theatre was l ...

in Pune. He was a proficient in

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

.He composed music for many marathi films of 1940s and '50s including 'Amaldar', 'Gulacha Ganapati', 'Ghardhani', 'Chokhamela', 'Dudhbhat', 'Dev Pavla', 'Devbappa', 'Navrabayako', 'Nave Birhad', 'Manache Paan' and 'Mothi Manase'. He was also the composer for many popular non-film songs in the "bhavegeet" genre sung by singers such as

Jyotsna Bhole Jyotsna Keshav Bhole also known as Jyotsnabai Bhole () (11 May 1914 – 5 August 2001), was a veteran Marathi stage artist and a Hindustani classical singer. Along with Padmabai Vartak, she was among the first female actresses to perform ...

Manik Varma Manik Varma (16 May 1926 – 10 November 1996) was an Indian classical singer from the Kirana and Agra gharanas (singing styles). She was honored with the Padma Shri Award in 1974 for her contribution to the field of music. Career Besides t ...

and

Asha Bhosale Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

Death

Deshpande died in Pune, Maharashtra, on 12 June 2000, due to complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. He was aged 80. He died on the couple's 54th wedding anniversary.

Bibliography

Most of Deshpande's literary contributions are in the Marathi language. Although he wrote across several genres, he was particularly well known for his works of humor. He also adapted prominent works from other languages into screenplays - scripts - for films in the

. Prominent examples include: * The 1952 film अंमलदार (Ammaldar), based on

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...

's '' Inspector General'', * The 1962 book काय वाट्टेल ते होईल (Kay Wattel Te Hoeel), based on the translation of Helen and George Papashvily's script of '' Anything Can Happen''). * Teen paishyacha tamasha based on

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

(Die Dreigroschenoper) by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

The Marathi book eka koliyane ( एका कोळीयानें ) is a translation ( भावानुवाद ) of earnest Hemingway's book old man and the sea. He referred to his adaptations as भावानुवाद (''Bhawanuwad'' or paraphrasing) instead of as conventional "translation"s or "adaptation"s .

Filmography

* कुबेर (Kuber) – 1947: actor and playback singer * भाग्यरेखा (Bhagyarekha) – 1948: actor and playback singer * वंदेमातरम् (Wandemataram) – 1948: actor and playback singer * जागा भाड्याने देणे आहे (Jaga Bhadyane Dene ahe) – 1949: screenplay and dialogues * मानाचे पान (Manache Pan) – 1949: – story, screenplay, and dialogues; co-music director in collaboration with Ga Di Madgulkar * मोठी माणसे (Mothi Manase) – 1949: music director * गोकुळचा राजा (Gokulacha Raja) – 1950: Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues * जरा जपून (Jara Japoon) – 1950: Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues * जोहार मायबाप (Johar Maybap) – 1950: Actor * नवरा बायको (Nawara Bayako) – 1950: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues * ही वाट पंढरीची (Hi Wat Pandharichi) – 1950: Actor * पुढचे पाऊल (Pudhache Paool) – 1950: Actor and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues in collaboration with Ga Di Madgulkar * वर पाहिजे (Var Pahije) – 1950: Actor and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues in collaboration with Achyut Ranade * देव पावला (Dewa Pawala) – 1950: Music Director * दूध भात (Doodh Bhat) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics * घरधनी (Ghardhani) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics * नवे बिर्हाड (Nawe Birhad) – 1952: Writer of Story and Screenplay * माईसाहेब (Maisaheb) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues * संदेश (Sandesh)

n Hindi N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

nbsp;– 1952: Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues (translated by Mir Asgar Ali) * देवबाप्पा (Dewabappa) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics * गुळाचा गणपती (Gulacha Ganapati) – 1953: Director, Music Director, actor, and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics * फूल और कलियाँ (Phool Aur Kaliyan)

nbsp;– 1960: Story writer – * सुंदर मी होणार (This novel was adopted to make Hindi movie )

nbsp;– 1966: Story writer – * चिमणराव गुंड्याभाऊ (Chimanarao Gundyabhau) – : Narrator * एक होता विदूषक (

Ek Hota Vidushak ''Ek Hota Vidushak'' () is a 1992 Marathi film directed by Jabbar Patel and produced by National Film Development Corporation of India. The film stars Laxmikant Berde, Madhu Kambikar, Nilu Phule, Varsha Usgaonkar in lead roles and Mohan Agashe a ...

) – 1993: Screenplay and Dialogues

Awards and recognition

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande 2002 stamp of India

Punyabhushan The Punyabhushan award ({{translation: ''Jewel of Pune'') is awarded every year to an eminent personality from the field of art, music, culture, science, industry, social service, or sports in a special public function in the city of Pune Maharasht ...

– 1993 *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

– 1990 * Maharashtra Gaurav (Bahurupi) Award *

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

– 1966 *

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

( Marathi for ''Vyakti Ani Valli'') – 1965 *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

– 1967 * Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship – 1979 * Maharashtra Bhushan Award – 1996 *

Kalidas Samman The Kalidas Samman () is an arts award presented annually by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India. The Kalidas Samman was first awarded in 1980. It ...

– 1987 * Honorary

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

Degrees from

Rabindra Bharati University Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on 8 May 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. I ...

(1979),

University of Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Pune, is a public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

(1980) and Tilak Maharashtra University (1993) * First interviewer to interview

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a prin ...

, the first Prime Minister of India, for the then newly founded

* The "P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy" was established by the Government of Maharashtra in

to honour his contributions to Marathi literature– 2002 * A garden, '' Pu. La. Deshpande Udyan'' (also known as "Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden"), in

was named after him in

commemoration Commemoration may refer to: *Commemoration (Anglicanism), a religious observance in Churches of the Anglican Communion *Commemoration (liturgy), insertion in one liturgy of portions of another *Memorialization *"Commemoration", a song by the 3rd a ...

* On 8 November 2020 (his 101st birth anniversary), Google honoured him with a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

* A

computer font A computer font is implemented as a digital data file containing a set of graphically related glyphs. A computer font is designed and created using a font editor. A computer font specifically designed for the computer screen, and not for printi ...

titled ''PuLa 100'', which mimicked his handwriting, was made available in 2020

Social work

Pu La Deshpande donated and participated in several social and philanthropic causes. * Seed donation to Muktangan Deaddiction and Rehabilitation Center * Donation to IUCAA Muktangan Vidnyan Shodhika * Donation to ''Neehar'', a hostel for the children of sex workers * Donation for closed-door

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

and an open theatre for the blind students at

Baba Amte Murlidhar Devidas Amte (), popularly known as Baba Amte, (26 December 1914 – 9 February 2008) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from le ...

's Anandvan * Supporter of ''Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti'' (Committee for Eradication of blind Superstitions), promoting cultivation of scientific temperament Pu. La. Deshpande's wife, Sunita Deshpande, donated Rs.25 lakhs to IUCAA towards Muktangan Vidnyan Shodhika, a building aptly named as "PULASTYA" (a name of a star and memory of PULA.) After the demise of Sunita deshpande, the copyrights of most of Pu. La's books were given to IUCAA and the royalties received from Pu La's works is used to spread Science awareness among young kids by IUCAA.

In popular culture

Films and television

*''Gola Berij'', a 2012 Indian Marathi-language film directed by Kshitij Zarapkar, presents a fictionaized account of his life. *'' Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli'' is the film released on 4 January 2019 on P L Deshpande directed by

Mahesh Manjrekar Mahesh Vaman Manjrekar (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əɦeːʃ maːɲd͡zɾekəɾ born 16 August 1958) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, alongside Marathi language, ...

. The film was criticized by many for taking cinematic liberty. A sequel '' Bhai - Vyakti Ki Valli 2'' was released a month later. *'' Namune'', a television serial on

Sony SAB Sony SAB is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Culver Max Entertainment Culver Max Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., Trade name, trading as Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN or SPNI), is an Indian media ...

based on Deshpande's literature, has the actor

Sanjay Mone Sanjay Mone is a veteran Marathi actor, dialogue writer and script writer. He has also written many plays and regularly writes in the newspaper. He worked in a number of TV serials, plays and films. TV serials # Ambat Goad # Khulta Kali Khule ...

play the role of Deshpande. Along with Sanjay Mone, there are various actors from the Hindi and Marathi film industry.

Documentaries

Documentary on Pu. La. Deshpande: This is a Govt. of India Films Division documentary, in which Pu La himself reveals his life journey. It was filmed on the occasion of his 60th birthday. There are two other documentaries made on Pu La: * One by

Mukta Rajadhyakshya Mukta or Muktha may refer to: * Moksha, spiritual liberation, the soteriological goal of Hinduism Entertainment *Mukta (1994 film), ''Mukta'' (1994 film), an Indian Marathi-language film directed by Jabbar Patel *Mukta (TV series), ''Mukta'' (TV ...

and

Sudhir Moghe Sudhir is an Indian given name, Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' means "very wise", "resolute". Notable people with the name include: *Sudhir (Pakistani actor) (1922–1997), Pakistani actor *Sudhir (Hindi actor) (1944–2014), ...

called Ya Sama Haa on his 75th birthday and * Pu La Vruttant, made by

Jabbar Patel Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India. His production of Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre. ...

, in which Pu La himself talks about his life.

Books Written By Pu La Deshpande

Vyakti Aani Valli (व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deshpande, P. L. Deshpande, P.L. Deshpande, P.L. Deshpande, P.L. Male actors from Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni Indian film score composers Male actors in Marathi cinema Indian male stage actors Indian theatre directors Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian male screenwriters Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Deshpande, P.L. Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award Marathi-language singers Marathi playback singers Marathi theatre Marathi film directors 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian composers Writers from Pune Musicians from Pune Screenwriters from Maharashtra Marathi screenwriters Film directors from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian male writers Presidents of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan 20th-century Indian screenwriters Indian humorists