Pune: Veteran Marathi theatre director Dilip Kolhatkar, noted for his commercially and critically acclaimed plays, passed away on Friday at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital here following a prolonged illness. He was 71.
Kolhatkar was born into an illustrious theatrical family and remained a prolific director on the Marathi stage. He was a pivotal figure in the Marathi theatre renaissance of the late 1970s and 80s, directing such plays like Ashok Patole’s Aai Retire Hotey (A mother retires).
Other notable plays directed by him include Rajacha Khel and Tumche Amche Gaane , a lively musical. But Kolhatkar did some of his best work in helming plays penned by renowned Marathi litterateur Prahlad Keshav Atre, popularly known as ‘Acharya’ Atre.
These include the evergreen comedy Moruchi Mavshi (Moru’s Aunt), a laugh riot which Atre in turn based on Charley’s Aunt (1892), the classic late Victorian farce by Brandon Thomas which proved a smash hit on the London stage and the Broadway.
He directed another famous farce by Atre, Kavadi-chumbak — an adaptation of Moliere’s classic L’Avare (The Miser). Primarily a denizen of Mumbai, he had been living in Pune since 2002.
In February this year, Kolhatkar suffered a personal tragedy after his wife, Deepali (65), was found murdered at their Kothrud flat.
Kolhatkar is survived by a son and daughter. His last rites will be performed on Saturday.
