Amol Palekar, the veteran actor, has been admitted to the Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, after his health deteriorated. Palekar’s wife Sandhya Gokhale confirmed the news of his hospitalisation and said, “There is nothing to worry about Amol Palekar’s health. He is recovering now and his health is much better than before.”
On being asked about what the 77-year-old actor is suffering from, Gokhale told ABP News, “This is an old illness. Due to excessive smoking, he was admitted to the hospital ten years ago as well. But his condition is fine, now.” However, she refused to divulge further details about his health condition.
Palekar is best known for his 1970s classic Hindi films like Rajnigandha, Chitchor, Chhoti Si Baat, and Gol Maal. He was also seen in films such as Naram Garam, Gharonda, Shrimaan Shrimati, Rang Birangi, and Bhumika.
The actor recently returned to films, after a gap of 12 years with 200-Halla Ho, which also starred Barun Sobti, Ishtiyak Khan, and Sahil Khattar, among others. The film was directed by Sarthak Dasgupta and co-written by Sarthak and Gaurav Sharma, and was released on Zee5. It is based on a real-life incident, where a mob of 200 Dalit women lynched Akku Yadav, a gangster, robber, serial rapist, and killer, in an open court in Nagpur in 2004.
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Apart from Hindi films, Palekar has also worked in and contributed to mainstream Marathi films. He made his film debut in 1971 in the Marathi film Bajiraocha Beta, before joining the Hindi film industry with Basu Bhattacharya’s Rajnigandha opposite Rakhee in 1974. Palekar also helmed television shows, notably, Kachchi Dhoop and Mriganaynee. The last film he directed was We Are On! Houn Jau Dya in 2013.
Palekar, who has also earned a name for his performances in other regional languages such as Bengali, Malayalam, and Kannada, has received one Filmfare award and six State awards for Best Actor.