Vibhawari Deshpande is an Indian actress, writer and director who works in Marathi theatre and Marathi cinema.

Vibhawari Deshpande
Deshpande in 2019
Born
Vibhawari Dixit

Pune, Maharashtra, India
Occupation(s)Actress, writer
Known forHarishchandrachi Factory
Spouse
Hrishikesh Deshpande
(m. 2001)
Children1

Career

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Writer and director

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Deshpande started her career with acting and off-screen works in college drama. She also attended various courses organised by National School of Drama, Delhi and workshops conducted by noted theatre personality Satyadev Dubey. While working for drama, she mainly worked off-screen in writing department. She has also written dialogues for the Marathi TV serial Agnihotra that aired on Star Pravaha.

Deshpande is active in theater with an Indo-German group "Grips" that produces plays for children.[1] Along with acting and writing scripts, she has also directed a Kannada play Gumma Banda Gumma.[2]

Acting

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Deshpande received her first acting break for a cameo role as a receptionist in the multi-award-winning 2004 film Shwaas. Her next role came in Smita Talwalkar's production Saatchya Aat Gharat. Here she played the role of Ketaki, one of the seven college students around whom the story revolved. She also worked in one of the documentaries directed by Dr. Jabbar Patel.

She later on acted in a few Hindi films doing side roles. Her big break came in 2009 when she played the historical role of Saraswati Phalke, wife of the father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke, in the film Harishchandrachi Factory. Deshpande's role was of a supportive wife who helped her husband in his journey towards making India's first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra.[3] She also received the Best Actress award by MICTA for her role of Saraswati.[4] In 2010, she played the role of Dwarka, wife of Guna, in the film Natarang. Based on the novel of same name by Anand Yadav, Dwarka's character was of a wife who dislikes her husband's involvement in Tamasha.[5] In 2011, Deshpande portrayed another historic role of wife of one of the greatest Marathi singers and stage actors, Bal Gandharva. Her role in the film supported the lead title role of Bal Gandharva, who enacted female roles in theater when women did not act.[6]

Filmography

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Films
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Shwaas Receptionist
2004 Saatchya Aat Gharat Ketaki
2007 Dum Kaata Ananya's mother Hindi film
2008 Mumbai Meri Jaan Archana Kadam Hindi film
2009 Harishchandrachi Factory Saraswati Phalke, Dadasaheb Phalke's wife
2010 Natarang Dwaraka Kagalkar
2011 Balgandharva Laxmi, Balgandharva's wife
2011 Deool Poetya's sister-in-law
2012 Chintoo Chintoo's mother
2012 Tuhya Dharma Koncha Bhulabai
2013 Postcard Lisa Khamble
2017 Tumhari Sulu Constable
2017 Tikli and Laxmi Bomb Laxmi
2024 Phullwanti Avanti Devi
Web series
Year Title Role
2018 Sacred Games Gaitonde's Mother
2019 Mayanagari: City of Dreams Purushottam's Wife
2020 Breathe: Into the Shadows Prakash Kamble's college friend
Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors Mukta Tai
Plays
Title Language Role Ref.
MH-12 Mukkam Post Pune Marathi Actress [7]
Gumma Banda Gumma Kannada Director [2]
Gayab Geet Marathi Director

Personal life

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Born Vibhawari Dixit[8] and brought up in Pune, Maharashtra, India, Deshpande did her schooling at Garware High School, Pune. She did her graduation from Fergusson College in Arts and Mass Communication. Her father, Upendra Dixit runs the book store International Book Service set up by her grandfather in Pune in 1931 and her mother Maneesha Dixit was a scholar, writer and theater critic. Her grandmother Muktabai Dixit was also a famous writer and playwright in Marathi.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Ainapure, Mrunmayi. "Coming to Grips with reality". Pune Mirror. Pune. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  2. ^ a b Mehar, Rakesh (6 December 2006). "All a child's play". The Hindu. Bangalore. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  3. ^ Masand, Rajeev (30 January 2010). "Watch out for 'Harishchandrachi Factory'". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  4. ^ Badam, Ramola Talwar. "Bachchan accepts and confers honours in Marathi films". The National. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  5. ^ Parande, Shweta (27 March 2010). "Atul Kulkarni's 'Natarang' is powerful". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  6. ^ Gokhale, Shanta (26 May 2011). "The real reel". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Vibhawari Deshpande and Prasad Oak". Daily News and Analysis. Pune. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  8. ^ "#puneonmymind: Vibhawari Dixit Deshpande, theatre artiste and actor on how Pune has always offered space to explore and expand culture". Hindustan Times. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  9. ^ "विभावरी देशपांडेचे वडील". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). 22 January 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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