The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs150,000, a citation, a memento and a certificate, will be presented at a special function on 13 April at the university.
Jabbar Patel named for Principal RK Kanbarkar Award by Shivaji University, Kolhapur
Kolhapur - 04 Apr 2018 8:53 IST
IANS
Renowned film-maker Dr Jabbar Patel has been named for the prestigious Principal RK Kanbarkar Award instituted by Shivaji University, Kolhapur, an official said on Tuesday (3 April).
The award, named in memory of the late Principal Kanbarkar, carries a cash prize of Rs150,000, a citation, a memento and a certificate, said vice chancellor Devanand Shinde.
Addressing mediapersons in Kolhapur, Shinde said the award would be presented to Patel, 75, at a special function on 13 April at the university.
Born in Pandharpur, Solapur district, on 23 June 1942, Patel became a qualified doctor but decided to pursue a career in theatre and films, starting with experimental plays, writing and directing them right from college days.
He is credited with taking Marathi theatre and films to a different level with creations like the Ghashiram Kotwal, an adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar's play with the same name, which attracted record audiences through the years and is ranked as a classic in Modern Indian Theatre.
Later, he directed-produced several acclaimed films like Samna (1975), Jait Re Jait (1977), Sinhasan (1979), Umbartha (1981), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000), Ek Hota Vidushak (1992), Mukta (1994), among others.
He also took part in many dramatic competitions and came in contact with top actors and founded the experimental group, Theatre Academy, besides acting in several plays himself.
Patel is also credited with making several documentaries and short-biographicals on various eminent personalities.
The late Kanbarkar, who served as the vice chancellor of Shivaji University from 1980-1983, was a prominent social and academic figure in this erstwhile royal city of the Chhatrapati rulers of what is now Maharashtra.
After his demise in 2015, his wife Shalini Kanbarkar created an endowment of Rs2.50 million to the university to set up the award which would be presented to eminent personalities from different walks of life or organisations.
The first recipient was eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna CNR Rao in 2016, followed by the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha in 2017 and Patel for this year.
