Fadnavis, Shinde, Raj attend Prashant Damle’s 12,500th performance

When Damle appeared on stage, the crowd at Shanmukhanda Hall at Sion in Mumbai, aware of the momentous occasion, gave him a thunderous standing ovation. In the audience was the crème de la crème of the Marathi acting fraternity as well as politicians such as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MNS Chief Raj Thackeray.

Pune: Sunday was a unique day for Marathi theatre – the day that Prashant Damle, a very popular Marathi stage personality, notched up a significant milestone. Damle, an actor for the last 39 years, gave his 12,500th stage performance, a feat that had theatre professionals and aficionados comparing him to the late legendary dramatist Vishnudas Bhave. The play was ‘Eka Lagnachi Pudhchi Goshta’.

Marathi actor Prashant Damle (L) and Kavita Lad during a play on Monday. (HT PHOTO)

When Damle appeared on stage, the crowd at Shanmukhanda Hall at Sion in Mumbai, aware of the momentous occasion, gave him a thunderous standing ovation. In the audience was the crème de la crème of the Marathi acting fraternity as well as politicians such as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MNS Chief Raj Thackeray.

Thackeray, while speaking about Damle’s milestone at the event, indulged in a little arithmetic. “If we take three hours per show, then Damle has spent 37,000 hours which, in turn, can be converted to 1,562 days spent in the service of Marathi theatre. To hold an audience in thrall for so many decades is a major achievement,” he remarked.

Amitabh Bachchan, who was unable to attend the event, extended his best wishes to Damle for the show. Sharing a bunch of unseen pictures in which he was felicitating Damle at an event, the superstar wrote in a social media post: “Today, Prashant Damle Ji is performing his record 12,500th show. And reaching this milestone in just 39 years is another great feat in itself!”

Before becoming an actor, Damle was a typist with the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking, from which job he resigned in 1983 to take up theatre. However, as he revealed to HT, he never wanted to become an actor – it was music that was his passion and he hoped to be a singer. “When I ended up in acting, I was frankly beginning with a blank slate,” he said.

In 39 years, Damle has chalked up many achievements on that slate—lots of films and television serials and 32 plays. Some of these plays such as Eka Lagnachi Pudhchi Goshta became extremely popular, doing 530 shows and still going strong. In Marathi theatre, Damle has come to be known as the recipe for the sureshot success of a play—most of his plays are houseful, very often on account of repeat audiences who come to watch him multiple times.

For Damle, what matters most in life is timing. “Doing the right thing at the right time and at the right age gives you that stress-free life. I am 62 years old and already a grandfather, yet I’ve managed to dedicate my 100 per cent to theatre,” he said.

Had he chosen to be a singer, would he have been happy? “I would,” said Damle. “Acting and singing are both hobbies that developed into a profession. If I wasn’t an actor, then I think I would have become an auditor or even a badminton player.”

Vandana Gupte, veteran actress, recalls that she met Damle when he was a young actor. “I had seen his play ‘Tur-Tur’ and liked his work,” she said. “We worked together on three plays, ‘Shoo, Kuthe Bolyache Nahi’, ‘Sundar Mee Honar’ and ‘Shree Tashi Sau’, which he produced. He is full of energy and has such perfect comic timing. He is also a team player and always thinking of his co-actors.”

Damle concurred with her sentiments about team play, remarking that he gave the credit for his success to his co-actors and backstage staff as well. “Theatre is teamwork,” he concluded, “and I was fortunate that in every play, I got an excellent team to work with.”