Vikram Gokhale: Oscillating between the many worlds of Hindi and Marathi movies
Mumbai: Born into acting, as it were, he was a man of the movies, both Marathi and Hindi and also of theatre and television. Vikram Gokhale, the character actor seen in films such as 'Agneepath' and 'Natsamrat', adapted to changing times as effortlessly as he slipped into diverse roles to make his mark on varied platforms. Gokhale, who died at a Pune hospital on November 26, was 77. He was the consummate actor, who was last seen in the 2021 Marathi movie 'Godavari' and won the National Award for best actor for his portrayal of a man watching helplessly as his wife slips into a coma in 'Anumati'.
Born on November 14, 1945, Gokhale was a third-generation artiste. His father was veteran actor Chandrakant Gokhale, a leading star and singer in Marathi cinema. His grandmother was Kamlabhai Gokhale, the Indian film industry's first female child actor.
Besides his acting career, Gokhale grabbed attention last year when he came out in support of actor Kangana Ranaut, who courted huge controversy over her claim that India attained freedom in 2014 and that what it got in 1947 was 'alms'. He also batted for the reunion between Maharashtra's two political parties, BJP and Shiv Sena, after they had a falling out over the chief minister's seat following the 2019 state elections.
As he oscillated between different worlds, Gokhale, who is survived by his wife and two daughters, struck a chord with his stoic dialogue delivery and expressive eyes. Amitabh Bachchan had a special role to play in his almost 50-year career.
Gokhale, who spent his early days as an actor in Marathi theatre, featuring in several plays, made his film debut with the Bachchan-starrer 'Parwana' in 1971. 19 years later, came the 1990 action-drama 'Agneepath', also headlined by Bachchan. In the movie, Gokhale played M S Gaitonde, the upright commissioner of police, among his most notable roles. He went on to collaborate with Bachchan on more films, including 'Khuda Gawah' (1992) and 'AB Aani CD' (2020).
The actor was often seen playing men in positions of authority, be it in 'Agneepath', 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' (2007), 'Natsamrat' (2015), 'Aiyaary' and 'Mission Mangal' (2019).
In 1999, the veteran actor featured in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', in which he gave a riveting performance as Pundit Darbar, a doyen of classical music who takes Salman Khan's Sameer under his tutelage. He continued to appear in Hindi movies such as 'Champion', 'Tum Bin', 'Lucky: No Time for Love', 'Main Aisa Hi Hoon' and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa'.
Gokhale turned to directing with the 2010 Marathi movie 'Aaghaat', in which he also starred. The movie looked at the bureaucratic structure in big private hospitals and the approach of the administration toward patients and their families.
Three years later, he starred in 'Anumati', which won him his National Award.
In 2015, Gokhale was featured in the critically acclaimed 'Natsamrat', considered a pioneering movie to come out of Marathi cinema. Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, the film explored the friendship between Nana Patekar's Ganpat and Gokhale's Rambhau. As two contemporary actors, both delved into the nature of life and its challenges. While the film centred around Patekar's character, Gokhale's Rambhau was equally compelling, especially with the sequence on his deathbed when his character recites lines from the 'Mahabharata'.
His television career spanned decades, too. Among his TV shows is the still remembered 'Udaan', which ran on 'Doordarshan' from 1989 to 1990. His small screen credits include 'Alpviram', 'Sanjivani', 'Virrudh', 'Jeevan Saathi' and 'Mera Naam Karegi Roshan'.
In 2020, he was seen in 'SonyLIV' series 'Avrodh: The Siege Within'.
The actor announced his retirement from stage performances in 2016 due to a throat ailment but continued working in films.
