RIP Dr Shreeram Lagoo: Curtains fall on the life of the Natsamrat of Marathi theatre

On Tuesday night, news of Dr Shreeram Lagoo’s demise surfaced. A tall figure in the Marathi theatre and film industry, Dr Lagoo’s passing hit artistes and his close associates hard. Condolences poured in from various quarters, including Dr Lagoo’s peers from the Hindi film industry.
We spoke to people who were close to the actor and had worked with him about their memories of the man who ruled the stage with plays like Natsamrat, Surya Pahilela Manus, Mitra, and films like Pinjara, Sinhasan, Samna and more.
I feel privileged to have worked with Doctor: Amol Palekar
Dr Lagoo was an extremely disciplined man, not only in theatre but in his real life as well. I remember, at the parties at his house, he would ask others to continue, but would retire sharp at 10 pm himself. So, I though I was in a fix when I started making Ankahee, because we had to shoot at night. However, not only did he agree to shoot at night but he would also stay back till all the shots I required were taken. Moreover, he knew that I had budget constraints while making the film. So, he told me, ‘Amol, you don’t worry. Whatever you pay me, I will accept it’. For a person of his stature, someone who was a superstar in Marathi theatre, to do this for me was nothing short of a great gesture.
I feel privileged to have got the chance to act with him at the beginning of my theatre career and in the initial stages of my film career (Gharonda, Ankahee). But I am also privileged to have acted under his guidance as an actor in the play Garbo, and to have directed him in a play called Rav Jagdev Martand (which was an adaptation of the French classic Cyrano de Bergerac) and a film (Ankahee) as well. My association with him was multi-fold and fulfilling.
— As told to [email protected]

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They don’t make people like him anymore: Subodh Bhave
My love for theatre began with Dr Shriram Lagoo’s plays. Unfortunately I couldn’t watch a lot of his earlier plays, but the ones that I did stayed with me throughout were Premachi Goshta, Surya Pahilela Manus and Mitra. It was a divine experience, especially the 35 min soliloquy in Surya Pahilela Manus; the command over the language and voice modulation Dr Lagoo had was perfect.
Years later, he had watched my film Balgandharva and loved it. He called me up and appreciated my performance in the film. From there on, whenever we spoke, he would address me as Narayanrao (the real name of Balgandharva). It was my request to him that he be there at the muhurat of my directorial Katyar Kaljat Ghusli and he came for it. He was an atheist, but he believed in the power of performance. I think it was because of his blessings that Katyar... did so well. I wanted Dr Lagoo to play the role of Ajoba in my film Pushpak Viman and had even gone to meet him for the same. But his health had deteriorated largely by then and I thought it better to not tire him further.
The last time I met Dr Lagoo was in Pune a while ago. I had given classics of global cinema to watch. In fact recently I was thinking about visiting him in Pune again but sadly, that won’t happen now. Dr Lagoo is gone but his legacy will remain; his contribution to theatre and films will remain. He was a unique person who never shied away from speaking his mind, was gracious and a powerhouse of talent. They don’t make people like that anymore.
— As told to [email protected]

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He was a perfectionist and a rationalist: Satish Alekar
I never got the chance to work with Dr Lagoo, but our association was through our sons. His son Anand and my younger brother were classmates in school. I have watched and loved Dr Lagoo’s plays, including Yashoda, Udhvasta Dharmashala and Ek Hoti Rani, which was made as a protest against the Emergency. He was someone who you could look up to for understanding the nuances of acting. Take any of his plays, one may or may not agree with their subjects, but Dr Lagoo’s performances were worth appreciating and worth studying. He had that finesse that mostly only trained actors have in their performances, and he wasn’t a trained one himself. He had a strong influence of European performance art and, in his early years, he was fortunate to work with people like Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta and Bhalba Kelkar.
Besides acting, he was also known for his strong and rational opinions. He would never speak casually about things and would voice his thoughts whenever he could. His contribution to theatre was not restricted to performances; he worked a lot for backstage artistes, would contribute towards welfare of theatre groups and at times helped plays financially. But all this, behind the scenes, without taking credit for anything he did.
His father was a Gandhian and Dr Lagoo was brought up with socialist values which he lived by throughout his life. He was associated with social workers, including Baba Adhav. Dr Lagoo, Rohini Hattangadi and the late Nilu Phule toured various places and gathered funds for the benefit of volunteers and social workers.
Dr Lagoo was a perfectionist and a born actor. And his contribution to the Marathi rangabhoomi is priceless.
— As told to [email protected]
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He praised my work in Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy: Sharad Ponkshe
Writer Pradeep Dalvi wanted Dr Shreeram Lagoo to play the role of Nathuram Godse in Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy. For some reasons, that did not work out and I did the role. I remember Dr Lagoo watched the play and waited to meet me outside Balgandharva Rangmandir. He praised my work and told me to approach him whenever I needed anything related to a play. That was my first meeting with him. We met on various occasions later. Currently, I am doing the lead role in Himalayachi Savali, a play that he originally featured in. We wanted Dr Lagoo to come and watch the play when we started staging it, but he wasn't keeping well then. Unfortunately, it will never be possible to know his thoughts on the play now.
- As told to [email protected]
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Felt like I lost someone close to me: Amey Wagh
Natsamrat was being shot for archival purposes on a DVD video and it featured all new actors, except Dr Lagoo. I was part of the play and got to spend some time with Dr Lagoo. The time spent with him gave me some of the biggest lessons of my life. Besides being a great actor, he was a genuine person who would help out everyone around him. Though I wasn’t very close to him, after hearing of his demise it felt like I lost someone very close to me.
- As told to [email protected]