Dada Kondke

Dada Kondke was one of the most renowned personalities in Marathi film industry, famous for his double entendre dialogues in movies. He was born into a Koli family of cotton-mill workers in a chawl in Naigaon, near Lalbaug, Mumbai. His family originally hailed from the village of Ingavali which was in the erstwhile Bhor State near Pune. Kondke and his migrant family retained close connections to their rural roots. As a youngster, Kondke was a rough kid who later on took up job in a local grocery retail chain called Apna Bazaar. He lost his parents to unfortunate events and the grieving process changed him profoundly. Left alone with his elder brother Dhondiram and his family to take care of him, these events made him focus more on the lighter side of life and make people laugh. Kondke started his entertainment career with a band and then worked as a stage actor. He was involved in cultural activities of Seva Dal, a Congress party volunteers organization, where he started working in dramas. During this period he came in contact with various Marathi stage personalities including writer, Vasant Sabnis. Later, Kondke started his own theatre company, and approached Sabnis to compose a drama script for him. Sabnis appreciated Dada's performance in Khankhanpurcha Raja (Translation: Bankrupt King), and agreed to write a modern Marathi language Tamasha or Loknatya (folk play). The drama was named Vichha Majhi Puri Kara (Translation: Fulfill my Wish). The drama went on to play over 1500 shows all over Maharashtra and made Dada a star. Vichha Majhi Puri Kara brought Kondke into spotlight and in 1969, he debuted in Marathi movies through a role in Bhalji Pendharkar's movie Tambdi Maati which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. He then turned producer with the film Songadya in 1971. He formed a successful pair with actress Usha Chavan and they worked together in many films. He was known for his catchy slogans and titles for his films. Some of his famous films are Pandu Havaldar, Bot Lavin Tithe Gudgulya, Ram Ram Gangaram, Tere Mere Beech Mein, Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haat Mein and many more. He was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest number of films (nine) that achieved silver jubilee (running for 25 consecutive weeks). He was also credited with introducing the genre of sex comedy to Marathi cinema and Indian cinema. He was married to a woman named Nalini and was later divorced. He had no children. He had a nephew named Vijay Kondke who also became a film producer. On March 14, 1998, he suffered a heart attack at his residence Rama Niwas in Dadar, Mumbai. He was rushed to Shushrusha Nursing Home, where he was declared dead on admission. He was cremated at Shivaji Park Crematorium. He was working on a film Jaraa Dheer Dhara with Usha Chavan when he died. He left behind a legacy of comedy films that are still popular among the Marathi audience.