Ram Gabale (died January 9, 2009) was an Indian

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

. He is well known for a number of cinematic works including social documentaries,

children's film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films ar ...

s, and television serials. He started directing films in 1947. Gabale worked with critically acclaimed artists including film director

V. Shantaram Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...

, Marathi writer P.L. Deshpande, and British actor and filmmaker

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisio ...

. Gabale, originally from

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is k ...

, moved to Mumbai and worked with the Rajkamal Studios. He soon obtained a break as a director at the Prabhat Studios in Pune. At Prabhat Studios, he directed his first movie Vande Mataram (1948) starring P.L. Deshpande and his wife Sunita, when he was 24 years old. Prior to that, Gabale worked as an assistant director to well-known directors including

Master Vinayak Vinayak Damodar Karnataki (19 January 1906 – 19 August 1947) commonly referred to as Master Vinayak was an Indian actor and film director of the 1930s and 1940s. Personal life Master Vinayak was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. He ma ...

and V. Shantaram. His works included films like Mothi Manse, Dev Pavla, Dev Bappa, Chota Jawan, and Dharti-Akash. He also assisted the late P.L. Deshpande as a director on the popular television serial Batatyachi Chaal. Gabale was a creative director who explored social themes that were hitherto unexplored during his time including one on working women called Postatil Mulgi as well a number of social documentaries exploring the socioeconomic spectrum of post-colonial India. Many of his films went on to win awards at the national and international level including a Mahrashtra state award for a documentary on Maharshi Karve, the Prime Minister's Gold Medal for children's film Phool aur Kaliyan, the Leipzig International Film Festival for Kale-Gore, and the Venice Film Festival for Jaldeep. Gabale also was the recipient of a special recognition from India Gandhi for his film Shatayu Kesari. He held positions at prominent Indian cinematic institutions including the vice-principal at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) as well as Film City in Goregaon and Films Division in Mumbai.

Filmography

Director

*''Vande Mataram'' (1948) *''Postatil Mulgi'' (1954) *''Maharshi Karve'' (documentary) *''Phool aur Kaliyan'' (1960) (children's film) *''Kale-Gore'' *''Jaldeep'' *''Shatayu Kesari''

Assistant director

*''Mothi Manse'' (1949) *''Dev Pavla'' (1950) *''Dev Bappa'' *''Chota Jawan'' *''Dharti-Akash'' *''Batatyachi Chaal'' (television serial)

References

Marathi film directors 2009 deaths 1924 births People from Kolhapur {{India-film-bio-stub