Smita Patil: Award winning performances

Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Smita Patil appeared in over 80 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. She was the recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1985. Patil graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975). She became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema. However, she also appeared in several mainstream movies throughout her career. Her performances were often acclaimed, and her most notable roles include Manthan (1977), Bhumika (1977), Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981), Chidambaram (1985) and Mirch Masala (1985).

Arth: Director Mahesh Bhatt had once justified Arth, a semi-autobiographical film, saying, "We all borrow from life." But not everybody achieves results quite as cauterising. Pooja (Shabana Azmi), an orphan, is emotionally and financially dependent on her husband, Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). Inder, an ambitious and adventurous director, is, however, surreptitiously involved with a successful actress, Kavita Sanyal (Smita Patil). Kavita, we learn as the film unwinds, suffers from schizophrenia. The film fuelled rumours of the existing rivalry between Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Reams of pages were consumed by the speculation about who performed better. Even though Smita was nominated for the role of Kavita Sanyal in the best supporting actress category, she did not win the award, however her performance in the film remains iconic to this day.

Mandi: The film is a satirical comedy on politics and prostitution, and stars Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil. Based on a classic Urdu short story Aanandi by writer Ghulam Abbas, the film narrates the story of a brothel, situated in the heart of a city, an area that some politicians want for its prime locality. The film won the 1984 National Film Award for Best Art Direction for Nitish Roy. It was selected at Indian Panorama at Filmostav, Bombay 1984, and was invited to the Los Angeles Exposition (FILMEX), the Hong Kong International Film Festival 1984, and London Film Festival 1983. Shabana played the mistress of the bordello and Smita played one of her girls. The camaraderie between the two actors is pretty visible in each scene they perform together. The performance of both the actresses were excellent and it became very difficult to single out a winner.

Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai: Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai is an 1980 Bollywood film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story. The film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil as leads. It won the 1981 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. The film captures the angst of a worker, in Mumbai exemplified by a young Christian car mechanic, Albert Pinto (Naseeruddin Shah) who is under the illusion that if he works hard and emulates the rich, one day he can also be successful. Smita's performance was applauded in the film and even though Shabana's presence was felt, it could not out do the fiesty performance of Smita.

Nishant: It is a 1975 Hindi drama film directed by Shyam Benegal, based on an original screenplay by noted playwright, Vijay Tendulkar, with dialogue by Satyadev Dubey. The film stars Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil. This film focuses on the power of the rural elite and the sexual exploitation of women, during feudalism in India. The film won the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and was invited to Cannes Film Festival, the London Film Festival 1976, Melbourne International Film Festival 1977, and the Chicago International Film Festival 1977, where it was awarded Golden Plaque. In this film, again, Smita was acting in the same film as Shabana and the both of them did a swell job.