National Award-winning actress Uttara Baokar passes away at 79

Noted actor and theatre artist Uttara Baokar passed away at the age of 79 in Pune city of Maharashtra following a prolonged illness, sources close to her family said. Baokar, who was ailing for the last one year, breathed her last at a hospital on Tuesday. Her last rites were performed on Wednesday morning, they said. Uttara won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Mrinal Sen’s Ek Din Achanak. She has delivered stellar performances in films such as Rukmavati Ki Haveli, Sardari Begum, Thakshak, Dor, Aaja Nachle, 8 x 10 Tasveer, Lessons in Forgetting, Samhita, among many others.

Baokar, who studied acting at the National School of Drama (NSD), played various roles in different plays such as Padmavati in ‘Mukyhamantri’, Mena in ‘Mena Gurjari’, Desdemona in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, mother in playwright Girish Karnad’s ‘Tughlaq’, among others. Baokar came in the limelight following her role in Govind Nihlani’s movie ‘Tamas’. She also acted in Sumitra Bhave’s feature films.

She has appeared in popular TV shows like Udaan, Antaral, X Zone, Rishtey Kora Kaagaz, Nazarana, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Kashmakash Zindagi Ki and Jabb Love Hua.

Filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar said he worked in around eight feature films with her and his long-time collaborator Sumitra Bhave used to reckon her as an actor who could portray strong female characters. “She played a variety of female roles in our movies and she was one disciplined actor. When on the sets, there a no-nonsense attitude used to prevail,” he recalled.

(With PTI inputs)

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