Prabhakar Panshikar (

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 ...

: प्रभाकर पणशीकर) (14 March 1931 – 13 January 2011) also known as Pant was an actor on Marathi Stage. His character as Lakhoba Lokhande in the drama To Mi Navhech, written by Prahlad Keshav Atre is considered to be one of the immortal roles presented so far on the

Marathi theatre Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maharashtra in India, and elsewhere with Marathi diaspora. Starting in the middle of the 19th century, it flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ...

. Five unique characters played in this drama

To Mee Navhech ''To Mee Navhech'' () is a classic Marathi language, Marathi-language Play (theatre), play written by Prahlad Keshav Atre, Acharya Atre based on the court case of Madhav Kazi, who was an active criminal during the years between 1955 and 1960. Thou ...

made him famous in Marathi theatre and

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 also performed

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

's role in a play Ithe Oshalala Mrutyu based on the death of Sambhaji Raje Bhosale. He was the owner of Natyasampada, a Marathi drama production organization.

Biography

Panshikar was born into a family of

Karhade Brahmin Karhaḍe Brahmins (also spelled as Karada Brahmins or Karad Brahmins) are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra, but are also distributed in states of Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Based on Veda and Ved ...

in Phanaswadi,

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 ...

. His forefathers had been

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

scholars with his Grandfather translating into Marathi Nighantu Ratnakar, the authoritative manual of Ayurvedic treatment. He had three brothers who were all masters of Sanskrit language. The Panshikar are originally from

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, with their roots in the Panshi village in Pernem Taluka. Prabhakar had enacted in Khotachiwadi when he spend some time at Ramji Purshottam Chawl – V.P. Road. Younger Prabhakar was engrossed in acting and theaters from his childhood. During his school days, he not just watched several famous plays from renowned theater companies, but also he performed them in Ganesha Festival at Girgaon, Mumbai. His passion towards drama took him away from family in his early teens. Later on 13 March 1955, he began his profession in Marathi Stage with a play Ranicha Baag. At the age of 25, he joined writer-director M. G. Rangnekar's organization Natyaniketan and started to act in plays like Kulwadhu, Bhumikanya Sita, Vahini, and Khadashtak. Initially, Panshikar worked and acted under the guidance of veteran Marathi drama director M.G. Rangnekar. Rangnekar gave him his break in the play '' To Mi Navhech'' by offering him the main role in 1962. The show became so popular that it was subsequently translated into other Indian languages like Gujarati 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 ...

. He has to his credit the distinction of performing as an actor & producer on screen, stage and television. He formed an organization named Natyasampada and he developed local artists and launched them in cities like

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 ...

, Mumbai,

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

etc. He has spent 53 years on stage with over 8000 performances to his credit. Panshikar also produced very famous Marathi play '' Katyar Kaljat Ghusali'' under his organization. Based on the play a record breaking Marathi movie was released with the same name, in which famous Marathi actor Sachin Pilgaonkar and renowned singer

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (''honoris causa'' degree) by Birmingham Ci ...

played lead roles.

Personal life

Panshikar was married to Vijaya (née Kulkarni), with whom he had three children and seven grand children. His elder daughter, Janhavi Panshikar-Singh, is also an actress. She is married to TV actor Shakti Singh. Panshikar's son,

Raghunandan Panshikar Raghunandan Panshikar (born 1963) is a Hindustani classical vocalist. He has received training in the Jaipur gharana Panshikar has established his own unique treatment to classical singing under tutelage of Kishori Aamonkar, which diverted from ...

, is Hindustani classical singer and is a disciple of noted singer

Kishori Amonkar Kishori Amonkar (10 April 1932 – 3 April 2017) was an Hindustani classical music, Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, Jaipur Gharana, or a community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style. She is cons ...

. Raghunandan is married to Aparna Deshpande and the couple have two children. Panshikar's younger daughter, Tarangini, is a gold medallist in

. She is married to marine engineer Narendra Khot. They have two children.

Death

Panshikar died in

on 13 January 2011 from cardiac arrest.

Selected plays

*''Bhatala Dili Osari'' *''

'' *''Ithe Oshalla Mrutyu'' *'' Ashroonchi Zhali Phule'' *''Thank You Mr.Glad'' *''Jithe Gavtala Bhale Phuttat'' *''Jwalamukhi''

Selected plays as producer

*''Sangeet Madanachi Manjiri'' *''Sangeet Suvarna Tula'' *'' Katyar Kaljat Ghusali'' *''Andhar Maza Sobati'' *''Kimayagar'' *''Putrakameshti'' *"Sangeet Awagha Rang Ekachi Zaala" *"Many Happy Returns (Marathi Play)" *"Vichcha Majhi Puri Karaa" *"Varyavarchi Varaat" *"Lekure Udand Jaali" *"Lagnachi Bedi"

Honours and awards

Vishnudas Bhave Suvarnapadak
* Zee Chitra Gaurav Lifetime Achievement *Rajarshee Shahu Suvarnapadak *Natyagaurav Puraskar *Sanget Natak Akademi Puraskar *Natasamrat Bal Gandharva Smriti Puraskar *Natashreshtha keshavrao Date Puraskar *Dr.Kashinath Ghanekar Smriti Puraskar *Natvarya Dattaram Puraskar *Acharya Atre Puraskar *Kalashri Puraskar *Uttung Puraskar *Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar *Jagatik

Parishad Puraskar *Dinanath Mangeshkar Smriti Puraskar *NatyaDarpan -'Man of the Year' *Natasamrat Nanasaheb Phatak Smriti Puraskar *Navratna Puraskar *Ratnappa Kumbhar Puraskar *Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar *First Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar of State Govt., Maharashtra, later this award was named Prabhakar Panshikar award.

References

*Preface to 'To Me Navhech' by

Pralhad Keshav Atre Pralhad Keshav Atre () (13 August 1898 – 13 June 1969), popularly known as Āchārya Atre, was a prominent Marathi writer, poet, educationist, founder–editor of ''Maratha'' (a Marathi language newspaper), and above all a noted orator. Biog ...

*Autobiography 'Toch Me' by Prabhakar Panshikar {{DEFAULTSORT:Panshikar, Prabhakar 1931 births 2011 deaths Indian male stage actors Marathi people Male actors in Marathi cinema Male actors in Marathi theatre Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award