Dattatray Ambadas Mayalu (1932), popularly known as Rajdutt, is an Indian director and producer in the Marathi and Hindi film industries. He directed his first film ''Madhuchandra'' in 1967. He is a recipient of three

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

, three Filmfare Award Marathi, twelve

Maharashtra State Film Awards Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963. The Maharashtra State Film Awards are adjudicat ...

, V. Shantaram Award and Zee Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution in Marathi cinema. In 2024, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, honoured him with

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 ...

, India's third highest civilian honour for his contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.

Early life

Rajdutt was born in Dhamangaon,

Wardha district Wardha District (Marathi pronunciation: �əɾd̪ʰaː is in the state of Maharashtra in western India. This district is a part of Nagpur Division. The city of Wardha is the administrative headquarter of the district. Hinganghat, Pulgaon, A ...

studied commerce before working for the Nagpur daily ''

Tarun Bharat ''Tarun Bharat'' ("Young India") is a Marathi newspaper based in Belagavi, India. It is the seventh-largest-selling Marathi daily newspaper in the country. The paper has eight editions from locations in North Karnataka (Belagavi), Southern Mah ...

'' as a subeditor and theatre reviewer. Serving as

Raja Paranjpe Rajabhau Dattatraya Paranjpe (24 April 1910 – 9 February 1979), known as Raja Paranjape, was an Indian actor, director, producer and writer in the Marathi film and Hindi film industries. He started to produce Marathi films under the bann ...

's assistant for twelve years and appearing in a few of his films, he later recreated ''Pudhcha Paool''.

Career

Rajdutt, a prominent figure in Marathi cinema, began his career in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, now

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, where he established connections with

AVM Studios AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar. It is the oldest film studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...

. He ventured into filmmaking in 1967 with ''Madhuchandra'', a successful experiment, and collaborated with Hindi music composer N. Datta for Marathi film music direction. Following his debut, Rajdutt's career saw ups and downs until

Bhalji Pendharkar Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was an Indian film director and producer, and a recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field. Early life and family He was born to Radhabai and Gopal Pendha ...

and

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

assisted him in producing ''Gharchi Rani''. The film received accolades, including the

Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Film The Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Film is an award presented annually at the Maharashtra State Film Awards of India to the best film in Marathi cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Maharashtra Government under the Department of ...

, yet Rajdutt never sought personal recognition. In 1969, ''Apradh'' earned him the State Government's First Prize. He went on to direct 28 films, garnering 14 awards in various categories, a unique feat in Marathi cinema. Rajdutt's work delved into nationalism, societal issues, and philosophical themes, resonating with audiences. His film ''Devaki Nandan Gopala'' transcended

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 ...

, reaching

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 ...

, Tamil Nadu, England, and the United States, even being showcased at international festivals like

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. ''Shapit'' received recognition from the Russian Council. Furthermore, Rajdutt ventured into Hindi cinema with ''Eriya'', starring

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...

and Mark Juber. His contributions earned him esteem nationally and internationally, making him a singular director in Marathi cinema.

Filmography

Awards and honours

* 1968: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''Gharchi Rani'' * 1969: Filmfare Marathi Award for Best Director for ''Apradh'' * 1969: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''Apradh'' * 1973: Maharashtra State Film Awards for Best Director for ''Bholi Bhabdi'' * 1979: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''

Ashtavinayak Ashtavinayaka () is a Sanskrit term which means "eight Ganeshas". The Ashtavinayaka Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in the state of Maharashtra, India, centered around the city of Pune. The eight temples house eight d ...

'' * 1982:

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi The National Film Award for Best Marathi Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Ka ...

for ''

Shapit ''Shapit'' is a Marathi-language film was released on 30 December 1982. It is produced by Madhukar Rupji, Sudha Chitale, Vinay Newalkar under the banner of Troyka Films Combine and directed by Rajdutt & Arvind Deshpande. The film won Presiden ...

'' * 1982: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''

'' * 1982: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Marathi for ''

'' * 1983: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''Raghu Maina'' * 1984: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for '' Mumbaicha Faujdar'' * 1985: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''Ardhangi'' * 1986: Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for ''Aaj Zale Mukta Me'' *2007: V. Shantaram Award *2012: Zee Chitra Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajdutt 1932 births Marathi film directors People from Amravati district 20th-century Indian people Film directors from Maharashtra