Nilu Phule

  • Birthplace: Pune, India
  • Awards: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1991), by the President of India, Maharastra State Award for Haat lavin tithe sone (1973), Maharastra State Award for Saamna (1974), Maharastra State Award for Choricha Mamla (1975)

Biography

Nilu Phule (died 13 July 2009) was an Indian actor known for his roles in the Marathi language movies and Marathi theatre. Nilu Phule had acted in around 250 Marathi and Hindi movies during his film career.

Phule was also a social worker, and was associated with Rashtra Seva Dal.

Nilu Phule was born in 1930 in Pune as Nilkanth Krushnaji Phule to the clan of the great social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. He is considered one of the greatest actor of Marathi stage/films of all times. He was involved in Freedom movement for India.According to his interview in a serial 'Vastraharan' on a Marathi Channel,he was a freedom fighter from Pune

Phule's first job was that of a gardener at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, aged 17. He used to get a salary of Rs. 80 per month, out of which, he used to donate Rs. 10 to the Rashtriya Seva Dal, a social organization he was involved with. He wanted to pursue his gardening career forward, but due to lack of financial support, he could not start his own plant nursery. During this time, at the age of 20, Nilu was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's writings and went on to write a drama, Udyan. His composing for the drama Yedya Gabalache Kam Nahi during the 1957 Lok Sabha elections garnered him fame.