Ramesh Deo ~ His Journey from Kolhapur to Mumbai
~ Niilesh A Raje
Even at the ripe age of 87 octogenarian Ramesh Deo keeps himself busy and occupied. He hates to sit idle. He leads us to his personal terrace garden and shows us a host of rare plants and bonsai then moves briskly to the kitchen to fetch some upma before we embark on our tete-a-tete. In a career spanning six decades the multifaceted Deo has acted in more than 285 Hindi Films, 190 Marathi Films, 30 Marathi dramas and over 200 stage shows. Apart from being an accomplished actor he has also emerged as a successful producer and director with a host of Feature films, Television Serials and over 250 Ad Films. The Deo family is one classic example where in the whole clan has been part of the Film Fraternity for several decades. Ramesh Deo Production (P) Ltd, established in 1971 is a company promoted by Ramesh Deo and wife Seema Deo along with sons Ajinkya and Abhinay Deo, who are actively involved in the production of Advertising Films, Feature Films, Television Serials, Music Videos, Documentaries and Short Films.
The Odyssey
Not even in his wildest dream he thought he would be a part of a theatre group or the film industry. On the contrary Ramesh Deo had made up his mind to join the Police force. He responded to an advertisement and cleared the aptitude test. For the next round of interview and physical examination he was to report to Mumbai on a Monday. Ramesh Deo started his journey from his hometown Kolhapur and on his way to Mumbai took halt at Pune to meet his brother. Being a Sunday and also the season of horse racing his brother invited him to the race course. It was here that his brother introduced him to veteran Marathi actor and director Rajabhau Paranjpe.
While at the race course on two occasions Rajabhau asked Ramesh Deo to pick the horse which accordingly to him was the best with probability of winning. Ramesh Deo was novice and was not even aware of the terms used in horse racing. He selected two horses at random and both these horses eventually emerged out to be winners and Rajabhau Paranjpe won almost twice the money he charged for direction then. He was very happy and felt Ramesh Deo bought him beginner’s luck in his life. Interestingly, Paranjpe, who was working on his new project, impressed with Ramesh Deo offered him the lead villain’s role. And surprisingly Ramesh Deo accepted it. This way the journey to Mumbai and a career as Sub Inspector was derailed in Pune. But it opened a new chapter in his life taking him to the studios.
Transition to Hindi Cinema
Ramesh Deo says his tryst with Hindi cinema began on an interesting note. “In the 60s myself and Seema had gone to a remote village called Radhanagri along with popular artists like Raja Gosavi, Raja Paranjpe, Padma Chavan, Sharad Talwalkar to stage a play. On the way we halted for a tea break. When tea was served in dirty aluminium glasses Sharad Talwalkar demanded angrily why it was not given in glass tumblers which were kept on a shelf. The boy who served tea replied those were for VIPs who came occasionally. When Sharad told him we were all big film stars. The boy gave a disgusting look and pointing at pictures of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, which were displayed in the shop, shot back ‘These are film stars”. That incident literally shook Deo, who realised making it in Hindi cinema was very essential. On reaching Bombay he approached Tarachand Barjatya and fortunately he bagged Rajshri FilmsAarti in 1962. Next he did Mohabbat Isko Kehte Hain and close on the heels came Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand, Rajshri Films Jeevan Mrityu, Gulzar’s Mere Apne, Koshish, L V Prasad’sKhilona and N N Sippy’s Fakira.
The Voice of Experience
His advice to budding actors is that filmdom is not only about glamour and money. “For an outsider it may appear very alluring but in reality most actors go through a lot of mental turmoil and struggle. Actors should be focused and dedicated to their art. Though I was very popular name in Marathi films but when I decided to venture into the Hindi arena I had to face a lot of hardship to create my own identity”, he discloses. The time when he entered the industry it wasn't considered to be a respectable profession. The quantum of money one earned at that point of time was also very low. Today things have changed and the film industry has gained immense popularity. In the same breath he explains that in life when things don't happen as planned then we should start viewing them in a positive way. Life is a circle everything that goes up has to come down one day. Don't get hurt be happy and keep working success will follow.
Awards and Achievements
From 1965 till date Deo has portrayed a wide variety of roles be it hero, villain, father, son or servant. He is amongst the first directors from India to have won the Best Director’s trophy at Film Festivals held in Iran, Iraq and China. He also had the opportunity to work with the leading stars including the Raj Kapoor clan, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Dilip Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Shatrugan Sinha, Jeetendra to name a few. He has been conferred with many State and National Awards for his contribution to Indian cinema.
Ramesh Deo believes in maintaining a cordial relationship with whomsoever he interacts. He warns, “Ego can ruin a person”. It is one thing that will only bring disaster in your life. Life is a learning process and its great fun to imbibe new things. As we take leave the phone rings, a visitor is already waiting and wife Seema wants him go through a letter but Ramesh Deo is unperturbed. ‘The show must go on whether at home or studio ‘, he reflects with wide grin.
