Dada Kondke

Dada Kondke's name figures in Guinness Book of World Record for making nine consecutive jubilee hits like "Songadya", "Pandu Hawaldar", "Ram Ram Gangaram", "Yevu Ka Gharat", "Sasarchi Dhotar", "Bot Lawin Tithe Gudgulaya", "Muka Ghya Muka" and "Ektajeev Sadashiv". Some of these have been released on VCD by Nupur and others are also likely to be available but the audio/video quality is not good/satisfactory. Anyway, something is better than nothing. "Ganima Kawa" is available on DVD as well, released by Golden Plaza/Sagarika.

To mark the remarkable contribution made by Dada Kondke, the Maharashtra State Government introduced the Dada Kondke Award for the Best Regional Film in 2004.

Hindi was not Dada Kondke's domain. He tried to make a few Hindi movies like "Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein", "Tere Mere Beech Mein", "Aage Ki Soch" and "Khol De Meri Zuban" but they lacked the typical Marathi flavour of Dada Kondke's movies that he made in his own domain.

Dada Kondke's Filmography

Year Name of the Movie
1969 Tambadi Maati : VCD on Alurkar
1971 Songadya : VCD on Nupur
1972 Ekata Jeev Sadashiv
1973 Aandhala Marato Dola : VCD on Nupur
1975 Pandu Hawaldar : VCD on Nupur
1976 Tumacha Aamacha Jamala : VCD on Nupur
1977 Chandu Jamadar
1977 Ram Ram Gangaram
1978 Bot Lawin Tithe Gudgudalaya : VCD on Nupur
1980 Hyoch Navara Pahije : VCD on Nupur
1981 Ganimi Kawa : DVD/VCD on Sagarika
1982 Aali Aangawar : VCD on Nupur : VCD on Nupur
1984 Tere Mere Beech Main (Hindi) : VCD on Eagle
1987 Muka Ghya Muka : VCD on Nupur
1988 Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Hath Mein (Hindi) : VCD on Eagle
1988 Aage Ki Soch (Hindi) : VCD on Eagle
1988 Mala Gheun Chala
1989 Khol De Meri Zuban (Hindi) : VCD on Eagle
1990 Palwapalwi
1992 Yeu Ka Gharat
1994 Sasarche Dhotar

Dada Kondke's film dialogues are better known for double meanings. He always gave importance to music in his movies, which are still popular in masses. Most of the songs featured in his movies were composed by Ramlaxman and Ram Kadam. Mahendra Kapoor and Jayawant Kulkarni gave playback for him in most of the movies . He always prefered Usha Mangeshkar as female playback singer in his movies.

More on Dada Kondke ....

RAM RAM DADA

Dada Kondke

A sense of tragedy weighed heavy in the air, as fans, followers and associates thronged Dada Kondke’s residence at Rama Niwas, Shivaji Park, Dadar, Mumbai, to pay their last respects to the comedy king of Marathi cinema. March 14 will be remembered as a black day in the history of Marathi cinema. Dada Kondke, the saviour of regional films, left behind a gaping void, an unfulfilled dream of redeeming the lost glory of Marathi films. Dada, 68, suffered a heart attack at 3.30 am and as he was being rushed to Shushrusha Nursing Home, a stone's throw away from his residence, he breathed his last. Dr Anil Wakankar, his physician-cum-friend, had given him a routine check-up only the previous day. He had no inkling of what was coming next.
Bereaved Usha Chavan by the side of the mortal remains of DadaJeetu, Dada Kondke’s personal secretary for last the 13 years, recalls tearfully, "Dada vomitted and suffered a series of convulsions. Within minutes we rushed him to the hospital in our Contessa. The driver flew like an pilot. But we couldn’t save Dada's life. He passed away on the way. Dr Wakankar was waiting for us anxiously at the gate of the hospital. One look at Dada’s inert body and he shook his head in despair."
Usha Chavan, Dada’s leading lady right form his first film, Songadya, rushed to Mumbai from Pune. She sat grief-stricken by his body. "He wouldn't go anywhere without telling me, but this time he just left," she bemoaned.
Dada’s elder sister Lilabai More and her son Padmakar More conducted the last rites.
Eminent personalities and politicians visited Rama Niwas to pay their homage to the hero in half-pants. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Manohar Joshi, Shiv Sena supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray, opposition leader Chhagan Bhujbal and the Governor, Dr PC Alexander were among the first to bid adieu to the comedy king. Later in the day, IMPPA president Sultan Ahmed, producer-distributor Kiran Shantaram, Marathi film and theatre personalities, Smita Talwalkar, Alka Kubal, Madhu Kambikar, Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Vijay Chavan and Chetan Dalvi also visited Dada’s residence.
The funeral procession passed through the crowded lanes of Dadar and thouands of fans mourned his death tearfully.
The ashes of Dada's mortal remains have been sent to Kolhapur, Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Amravati and his native town Ingavali in Bhor district for darshan after which it will be dispersed in the holy rivers.
Balasaheb Thackeray's association with Dada dates back to the Songadya days. He had helped Dada retain Kohinoor theatre for screening his first blockbuster over-ruling the theatre owner who wanted to run Dev Anand’s Teen Deviyan despite the fact that Dada had booked the theatre for four weeks and even paid the advance. Since then Dada had become a self-proclaimed Shiv Sainik and a regular campaigner for Shiv Sena.
Dada KondkeAt about 11 am when Balasaheb visited Dada's residence, he put his head on Dada's feet and bid his friend goodbye. He asked someone Dada's age later. When told that he was 68, he shook his head in disbelief. "He looked so young and radiant. I thought he must be in his 50s. He was ever so cheerful and youthful," he remarked.
Last month, when Dada was in Pune, he visited Usha Chavan, his life-long heroine at Bal Gandharva Theatre. "He never went to that place since he left the stage years ago. But this time, just before coming to Mumbai, Dada insisted on visiting Usha there. Did he have a premonition?" wonders his personal secretary.
Mehmood, who acted in two of Dada's Hindi films, Khol De Meri Zaban and Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein, also visited the scene later in the day. The ailing comedian is restrained to the wheel chair and because of his chronic asthama problem, he couldn’t climb up the two flights where Dada’s body was kept. So his wife Tracy represented him and laid the wreath.
Dada’s estranged nephew Vijay Kondke, whom Dada had cut off from his will following a major dispute, was also present all through the funeral procession.
In a scene with Usha Chavan, though Dada publicly claimed to be a bachelor, he was legally married and had a daughter too. Both his widow and daughter were present at the crematorium. As his last remains were being consigned to the flames, his inconsolable daughter broke down saying, "Baba, all your life you made the world laugh and you made me cry. Why didn’t you accept me?"
A question Dada didn't have the time to answer. As usual, he was in a great hurry to leave!

Source:
Screen India : http://www.screenindia.com/mar27/films3.htm

Marathi Cinema

The history of Marathi Cinema is almost as old as that of Hindi Cinema, but the course of history is not quite similar. Unlike Hindi Cinema, Marathi Cinema has been able to retain the typical Marathi flavour.