Fimmaker Sumitra Bhave no more

National Award winning filmmaker Sumitra Bhave is no more. She breathed her last this morning in a Pune nursing home. She was 78.

Bhave was undergoing treatment at a private nursing home in Pune for the last few days. She was an acclaimed writer and director and has several great films to her credit.

Bhave made most of her films with co-filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar. The duo gave a new direction to Marathi films and their films were popular among non-Marathi speaking audiences too. Among the films the Bhave and Sukthankar made were Doghi, Dahavi Fa, Vastupurush, Devrai, Badha, Ek Cup Chya, Samhita, Astu, Kaasav. Over the years they have been bestowed with National Film Awards in Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare, Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film, Best Film on Other Social Issues, Best Feature Film categories.

On receiving the National Award for Kaasav, Sukhthankar hoped the award will help in drawing attention to the issue of mental health in general and depression, which is the theme of the film. “This reaffirms how in Marathi a well-made film on a good theme still finds its place in the sun. I hope the award will help us get a good release. We will celebrate then.”

The duo’s film Astu, won the Best Film Award at New York Indian Film Festival.