- Smita Patil died in 1986 at age 31 due to childbirth complications
- She wished to die as a suhagan, a married woman, as revealed by Deepak Sawant
- Deepak Sawant applied her last makeup for the funeral, fulfilling her wish
Smita Patil died on 13 December 1986, at the age of 31, due to complications following childbirth. With films like Mandi, Arth, and Ardh Satya to her credit, she was one of the finest actresses ever in Hindi cinema. Now, a snippet from a recent interview with veteran make-up artist Deepak Sawant is making the rounds, where he reveals how Smita Patil wanted to die like a "suhagan".
What's Happening
- In an interview with Pooja Samant on Reel Meets Real, Deepak Sawant said, “Smita Patil used to say mujhe suhagan banake leke jana (I should die a married woman). I used to scold her not to say things like this. She used to say this even to her mother, who would also scold her.”
- Recalling the heartbreaking moment when he had to do Smita Patil's makeup for her funeral, he continued, “After she passed away, her sister was coming from Chicago and it took her 2-3 days to arrive. During this time, her body was kept on ice and it had swollen.”
- “Her mother gave me a make-up kit, and Amitabh Bachchan and other people were sitting there. She gave me the make-up kit in front of them and told me that it was her wish to go as a suhagan. I started crying, and I did her make-up while tearing up. I did her last make-up and made her look very beautiful on her last day.”
Background
Smita Patil grew up in Shirpur in a socially aware family - her father was a politician and her mother worked as a nurse. She studied literature at Bombay University and later trained at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Before entering films, she worked as a newsreader on Mumbai Doordarshan and was involved in theatre.
She made her film debut with Charandas Chor and rose to prominence with Bhumika, which earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress.
Over a career spanning just over a decade, she appeared in more than 80 Hindi and Marathi films.
Smita received two National Film Awards, multiple Filmfare honours, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1985. She was later commemorated with a postage stamp by India Post in 2013, and film festivals continue to honour her legacy.
In her personal life, Smita married actor-politician Raj Babbar in 1986, a relationship that attracted public attention and controversy. Their son, Prateik Babbar, later followed her into films.
Smita Patil died on December 13, 1986, at the age of 31, due to complications following childbirth.
