eteran Marathi theatre actor Nandu Pol, who was a founder-member of the prestigious city-based ‘Theatre Academy’, passed away on Thursday at a private hospital here following a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 68.
Short in stature and endowed with an eternally jovial look, Mr. Pol graced the vernacular stage with indelible performances in plays like Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghanshiram Kotwal and Pu. La. Deshpande’s Teen Paishacha Tamasha — an adaptation of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera .
He was extremely prolific, with a substantial body of work in television and appearing in popular advertisements as well.
However, his significant capabilities as a superb technician was what brought him to attention. On strength of his work as sound recordist for more than 2000 plays and classical music shows, Mr. Pol was an in-demand faculty member across drama schools where he lectured on the mechanics of sound recording.
Mr. Pol worked with several eminent directors like Dr. Jabbar Patel, Sai Paranjpe and Mani Kaul among others and featured in pivotal roles in stellar Marathi films like Saamna, Sinhasan and Pak Pak Pakak during the course of an eventful three-decade career in films.
“Marathi theatre has become poorer with Pol’s death…It has lost an eternally cheerful and delightful personality,” said eminent playwright Satish Alekar.
“Besides acting in plays, films and TV serials, he was renowned as a solid back stage artist, as evinced by his work as a sound recordist and aided by his keen understanding of Hindustani classical music,” recalled Mr. Alekar.
Mr. Pol recorded his creative journey in his autobiography Mi Nandu Pol. He is survived by his son, who is also a sound recordist and a daughter, a professional make-up artist.
