Sulabha Deshpande

Sulabha Deshpande Biography

Sulabha Deshpande is an acclaimed Indian actress who is active in Hindi and Marathi movies, theatre as well as television. She is a leading figure in experimental theatre movement of the 1960s. In 1971 she co-founded, theatre group, Awishkar with her husband Arvind Deshpande. It also included a children’s theatre wing named, Chandrashala. She is known for supporting and character roles and has been regularly featured in Doordarshan serials of 1980’s and 1990’s. She had a long term association with theatric group – Rangayan and has worked with leading theatre personalities like Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta, and Satyadev Dubey. In realistic cinema, her roles in Bhumika (1977), Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978) and Gaman (1978) need special mention.

She was born in 1937 in Mumbai. She studied at Siddhartha College in Fort, Mumbai and completed graduation. She started her career as a teacher at Chhabildas Boy's High School in Dadar, Mumbai. In parallel, she was associated with Mumbai theatre. Her association with Vijay Tendulkar started when she asked him to write a few plays for her students. She joined the group Rangayan in the 1960’swhich was founded by Vijaya Mehta, Tendulkar, Arvind Deshpande and Shriram Lagoo. Madhlya Bhintee and Sasaa Ani Kasav were her noted plays under this banner. She played the lead role of Leela Benare in Vijay Tendulkar's noted play Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe in 1967.

After Rangayan dispersed, she co-founded, theatre group, Awishkar with her husband Arvind Deshpande. Arun Kakade was the third person to form the theater group. She reprised her original role for the play, Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe in the year 1971, which marked her breakthrough performance. Later she became an indispensible part of Indian new wave cinema, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Actress Sulabha Deshpande died on 4 June 2016.

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Updated: June 05, 2016