Smritichitre (1982)

Vijaya Mehta’s debut is a TV film based on the legendary Marathi autobiography of Laxmibai Tilak (1868-1936), a major social reform text evoking the life of her husband, the philosopher Narayan V. Tilak (Mankani and, as an older man, Sudhir Joshi). The film covers 20 years of her life, from her marriage to her conversion to her husband’s religion, Christianity. It also tells of her childhood, the loss of her two children, her self-education and her husband’s conversion in Ahmednagar while she spent another five years in the same town rigidly adhering to her Hindu beliefs. The predominantly theatrical actors contribute to a theatrical film. The main character is played by three different actors: for the childhood scenes, Patil takes the role; as a young woman she is played by Suhas Joshi and as an old woman by Mehta herself.