Ramesh Bhatkar: Best movies of the Marathi actor you shouldn't miss

Ramesh Bhatkar, a popular actor in Marathi cinema, passed away on Monday at the age of 69. According to reports, the actor who was under treatment for cancer at a hospital in Mumbai breathed his last there after taking ill over the past few weeks. His demise has left the entire Marathi industry in a state of shock.

Ramesh, a Marathi film, stage and TV actor worked for more than 30 years in the movie industry. Apart from gaining recognition for his television roles, Bhatkar became quite the film star since his debut in 'Chandoba Chandoba Bhaglaas Ka' (1977) followed by 'AshtaVinayak' (1978), and many more.

The actor never let his directors and audience down with his performances which gave him many super hit films over the years. On this sad day of his passing, we take a look at some of his best works in Marathi cinema that you shouldn't miss.

'Maherchi Sadi' was not only a critical but also a commercially acclaimed film for director Vijay Kondke which starred Ramesh Bhatkar. The film was the talk of the town, especially amongst women as it highlighted the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the emotional bond between a brother and sister. Ramesh Bhatkar played a memorable role in the film that went on to become the highest grossing Marathi film of the time.

The Mayur Vaishnav directorial 'Aai Tuza Ashirwad' was based on an emotional saga between a mother and her son. It featured stars like Ramesh Bhatkar, Alka Kubal, and Ashok Saraf in the prominent roles. Bhatkar impressed the audience with a power-packed performance in the film that had music by singing stalwarts Lata Mangeshkar and Pandit Jasraj and music director Prakash More. The film did well at the box office and is considered as one of Ramesh Bhatkar's best performances till date.

The Marathi film 'Bharat Aala Parat', directed by Vijay Gokhale is based on the bond between an uncle and nephew, and the lengths the nephew would go to teach his uncle a lesson. It featured stars like Bharat Jadhav, Vijay Gokhale, Surekha Kudchi, Vijay Chavan, Ramesh Bhatkar, and Gauri Sarawate in pivotal roles. The film is still considered as one of the best in Marathi cinema for its plot and Ramesh's brilliant performance.

'Mumbai Time', a film based on a journey of a well educated middle-class Marathi boy who’s forced to be a part of the underworld in the 1990s was directed by Sushrut Bhagwat. This was a unique movie for the Marathi film industry as rarely do filmmakers touch upon subjects related to the underworld or action and revenge dramas. Ramesh Bhatkar did a commendable job with his part as Bashir Khan in this action film.

The Rajdutta directorial 'Ashtavinayak' was the first Marathi home production for actor Sachin Pilgaonkar. The film that revolves around the struggle between belief and atheism, had an ensemble star cast featuring Sachin Pilgaonkar, Vandana Pandit, Raja Gosavi, Sharad Talwalkar, Dr Vasantrao Deshpande, Ramesh Bhatkar, Shama Gosavi, Padma Chavan, Usha Chavan, Asha Kale, Jayshree Gadkar, Ravindra Mahajani and Ashok Saraf. The film gives the essence of the importance of Lord Ganesh in our lives and is based on a real story, where the hero (Sachin Pilgaonkar) is an atheist and his wife (Vandana Pandit) is a staunch follower of the elephant-headed God.