Theatre personality Jaidev Hattangadi dead

Mumbai, Dec 5 (IANS) Noted theatre personality Jaidev Hattangadi died here Friday morning. He was in his sixties, a family source said.

Hattangadi, who was suffering from cancer, died at his house in Bandra Reclamation in north-west Mumbai. He is survived by his wife, veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi, and a son.

Some of the notable plays directed by him include 'Poster', 'Sangun', 'Baki Itihaas', 'Wara Bhavani Aai Sa', 'Surya Ke Waris' and 'Kutte'. He received the Maharashtra State Award for 'Sangun.'

Hattangadi was devoted to theatres and had been teaching at several drama schools, including the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi.

According to movie and theatre actor Anjan Srivastava, Hattangadi was closely attached to Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and the theatre group Avishkar, which was founded by the most revered couple of the Marathi drama - P.L. Deshpande and Sulbha Deshpande.

'He always kept a low profile and was rarely seen in social events. He was so dedicated to theatre that all the time he used to travel to watch plays in different parts of the country. I came in touch with him when we joined IPTA in 1970,' said Anjan Srivastava.

Besides directing over a hundred dramas in Marathi and Hindi, he had also written and acted in some of them. He made his acting debut with the play 'Mitti Ki Gadi' (1975), directed by M.S. Sathyu and R.M. Singh.

Though veteran directors like Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani had urged him to act in movies as well, Hattangadi was not keen to do so. But he acted in Dev Anand's 'Jewel Thief' (1967) and Saeed Akhtar Mirza's 'Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai' (1981).