Basant Potdar’s elder brother actor Achyut Potdarpasses away

He was a big support to acting institutions of MP, Maharashtra including Indore

▪️Anil Dhadwaiwale

Indore’s multi-faceted, generous, famous character actor Achyut Potdar died in Mumbai four days before his 91st birthday. He was to come to Indore as a special guest in the program of Sanand Nyas on his birthday, 22nd August.

Achyut Potdar, a famous Marathi speaking actor of Hindi, Marathi cinema and Doordarshan, was born on 22nd August 1934 in Jabalpur city, world famous because of the tourist place Maa Reva-Narmada’s Bhedaghat. He was educated and brought up in Indore. He lived in his youth in Martand Chowk of Rambagh area, a Marathi speaking area of Indore. He graduated in college with a gold medal in Economics by passing in first division. After that, he was a student-favorite professor in Rewa for some time. During that time, the Indo-China war broke out, then this handsome and dashing actor, full of patriotism, joined the Indian Army through the Emergency Commission and was a Captain in the Army. He left the Army job as soon as the Emergency Commission ended in 1967. In his film career spanning nearly four decades, he gave strong performances in supporting roles in more than 125 films and about 95 TV serials. He has worked in films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Damini-Lightning, Rishtey, Bhootnath and Dabangg-2. However, he will be remembered most for his role of a professor in Rajkumar Hirani’s film 3 Idiots. It seems necessary to mention here that Lata Mangeshkar, born in the Sikh locality of Indore, has not contributed a single penny till date despite written assurances to the Mai Mangeshkar Hall being built by the Marathi Samaj in the name of her mother ‘Mai’. Due to her breach of promise, the Marathi Samaj is in debt of more than one and a half crores. As a result, a case regarding debt recovery is pending in the courts for the last 35 years between two Marathi organizations, Marathi Samaj vs Chhatrapati Shivaji Cooperative Society. On the other hand, Achyut Potdar, a sharp speaker and true journalist with command over eight languages, the elder brother of writer late Vasant Potdar, has given huge financial support in the last few years not only to Marathi organizations active in his hometown Indore, but also in many towns and cities outside Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the purpose of which is to encourage the emerging Marathi talents and organizations conducting creative activities there. I have lived for years at a distance of a few steps from Achyut ji’s residence. Due to this, I had cordial relations with his family members.
When I talked to him about donating to various active organizations, he said that I am performing my social duty, I do not want any publicity. Sorry.
After this, I gathered information through my sources. According to that, Achyut Potdar gave 50 thousand to Saraswat Samaj of Indore, 50 thousand to Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha, 22 thousand to Marathi Samaj, 20 thousand to Aaple Reading Room, Rajendra Nagar, 20 thousand to Ahilya Natya Mandal, 20 thousand to Lokmanya Bhagini Mandal, 25 thousand to Ahilyotsav Samiti, as well as 20 to 25 thousand rupees to Maharashtra Mandals of Mhow, Harda, Dewas, Sagar, Jabalpur, Chhatarpur, Ujjain, Bhopal, Gwalior, Shajapur, Khandwa, Ratlam, Itarsi as well as Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar etc. with the expectation that the annual interest received on this donation amount should be ceremonially given as a reward to promising artists. These donations were given to award the award in the memory of famous singers late Ramubhaiya Date and late Vasant Potdar. It is worth mentioning that Lata Didi had sent a letter to Marathi Samaj. In that letter she had written ‘Baba (Master Deenanath Mangeshkar) gave us brothers and sisters an invaluable legacy of singing. Unfortunately, when he passed away untimely, my mother (Maai) played the roles of both ‘mother and elder brother’ and raised us in extremely difficult times. He really made us.” Bharat Ratna Lata Didi, did not remember to give financial support for the hall being built in the memory of the same mother, then hundreds of letters were written by running a postcard campaign to remind him.

▪️ Sanand Trust gives Potdar’s name to a spectator group

Sanand Trust has not given the name of Indore’s famous Natyacharya Baba Dike, actor Chandu Parikh to the spectator group. Now, out of the two groups Vasant and Bahar, give one group the name of late Achyut Potdar. He has also given a big financial support to Sanand.

–The author has been the director and former co-secretary of Marathi Samaj, Mai Mangeshkar Sabhagar for 44 years.