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Collection includes original sketch of Gajanan Jagirdar in and as Mahatma drawn by Bal Thackeray
In yet another priceless acquisition of vintage Indian cinema memorabilia, the personal collection of renowned yesteryear actor-director Gajanan Jagirdar is now part of the vaults of the city-based National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
Jagirdar, who aligned his talents closely with the theories laid down by legendary Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, did some of his most memorable work during the golden age of Marathi and Hindi cinema in the 1940s. He was associated with the iconic Prabhat Studios during its heyday.
Ashok Jagirdar, son of the late actor-director, handed over 130 photographs and other memorabilia from his father’s personal collection to Prakash Magdum, director, NFAI.
“I was in touch with Mr. Ashok Jagirdar for the past few days and am grateful to him for his gesture in giving these priceless photos. We will be digitising them soon,” said Mr. Magdum.
Speaking on the value of the collection, Mr. Magdum said that the ‘jewel in the crown’ in the collection was a black and white photograph in full costume and get-up of Jagirdar as Bal Gangadhar ‘Lokmanya’ Tilak in a Prabhat Studio production that never saw the light of day.
“This now-legendary image bears such an uncanny resemblance to the freedom fighter that on many occasions, Jagirdar’s image has been passed off as an original image of Tilak,” said Mr. Magdum, shedding light on the historical context of the pictures.
Yet another remarkable picture is an original caricature sketch of the actor as the protagonist of a 1953 film Mahatma drawn by then cartoonist Bal Thackeray, who subsequently founded the Shiv Sena.
The film was notable for having been written by famed litterateur P. L. Deshpande, known affectionately as ‘Pu La’, and directed by Datta Dharmadhikari.
While he made an indelible impression as the 18th century Maratha judge Ramshastri Prabhune in the 1944 Prabhat Studious classic Ramshastri, Jagirdar branched out to play supporting roles in several noted Bollywood classics of the 1950s and 1960s.
There are several photographs of Mr. Jagirdar in his iconic role as Ramshastri, trying to administer stern justice in the cut-throat world of late 18th century politics of Peshwai Pune.
“He [Jagirdar] had received enormous critical acclaim while achieving widespread popularity for his role as Ramshastri. He had even been feted with the Best Actor and Best Director awards for this film by the Bengal Film Journalists Association,” Mr. Magdum said.
In Bollywood, he was typically cast in the role of the heroine’s father, or as authority figures in films such as the Dev Anand-starrer Hum Dono (1961), Grahasti (1963), and Guide (1965). “There are several images of Jagirdar from his Bollywood oeuvre, along with veteran artist David Abraham, and actor Rekha, in the collection. We are really delighted to receive these memorabilia which will be of considerable interest to both film scholars and cineastes,” said Mr. Magdum, adding that Jagirdar had also served as the first principal of the fledgling Film and Television Institute of India [then known as Film Institute of India] during 1961-62.
“So, getting his photographs for preservation seems in a way like a homecoming due to the organic connection between the NFAI and the FTII,” said Mr. Magdum.
One of the oldest photographs from the collection is from a 1935 film Asire Havis. Another still is from a 1938 film Meetha Jahar in which Jagirdar appeared with actor Naseem Banu. Other notables include Jagirdar’s stellar role as Mirza in V. Shantaram’s classic 1941 Marathi film Shejari, which was filmed as Padosi in Hindi.
“He was one of the first artistes from Mumbai to shoot in Lahore and his film Behram Khan (1946) became very popular. Some stunning outdoor photographs of the shooting of that film also form part of this collection,” said Mr. Magdum.
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