Veteran actor Madhav Vaze passes away

Pune: Veteran actor Madhav Vaze, who played the young ‘Shyam' in the national award-winning film ‘Shyamchi Aai', passed away in the city on Wednesday morning. He was 85.He is survived by his wife and son, actor-director Amit Vaze. His last rites were performed at Vaikunth crematorium in the evening.Born on October 21, 1939, in Pune, Vaze retired as a professor of English from Wadia College. Known as an actor, director, theatre mentor, and critic, Vaze received honours for outstanding acting in state theatre competitions. He directed plays by renowned Indian and Western playwrights and served as a visiting professor in the drama department of Goa Kala Academy. Vaze was a member of the International Association of Theatre Critics and presented research papers at its national and international conventions.He directed Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet', translated into Marathi by Parshuram Deshpande. The play was staged in 2013. Vaze also worked in Hindi and Marathi films. His role as a child actor in ‘Shyamchi Aai', which depicted the life of Sane Guruji, brought him into the limelight. His performances in Hindi films like ‘Dear Zindagi', ‘3 Idiots', ‘Bapjanma', and ‘Evadhase Aabhal' were also well-received.Vaze authored several books, including ‘Experimental Theatre: Three Acts' (a translation from English), ‘Rangmudra' (portraits of various theatre personalities), ‘Shyamchi Aai, Acharya Atre and Me', ‘Nandanvan', and ‘Parallel Theatre: Beyond and Within'. Additionally, his book, Experimental Theatre: Three Acts also received a state award. ‘Shyamchi Aai, Acharya Atre and Me' won an award from the Pune Municipal Corporation, and ‘Parallel Theatre: Beyond and Within' received accolades from the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and Pune Nagar Vachan Mandir.