Google Doodle Honours Legendary Filmmaker V Shantaram On His 116th Birth Anniversary

New Delhi: Google doodle on Saturday honoured Indian film director Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, popularly known as V Shantaram, on his 116th birth anniversary. The Google Doodle depicts three films produced and directed by V Shantaram - Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), and Do Aankhen Baara Haath (1957). Rarely has the cinema - Indian or international - seen a filmmaker as complete as V Shantaram.

A consummate actor, an innovative editor, an insightful director and a producer, Mr Shantaram played a vital role in introducing sound and colour to the Indian cinema. Mr Shantaram, fondly called as Annasaheb, is known for cinematic classics such as 'Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani' and 'Do Aankhen Barah Haath.'

V Shantaram, who began his career doing odd jobs in the Maharashtra Film Co owned by Baburao Painter at Kolhapur, has won numerous national and international awards in his career spanning over five decades. In his lifetime, he produced 92 films, directed 55 films and acted in 25 films.

In 1929, he founded the Prabhat Film Company, that produced the first Marathi language film, Ayodhyache Raja (1932).

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Mr Shantaram left the company in 1942 to form the Rajkamal Kalamandir in Mumbai. 

In 1985, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and seven years later was awarded Padma Vibhushan (in 1992).

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Mr Shantaram was married thrice. His first marriage was to Vimla, with whom he has three children. He then married actress Jayashree. His third wife, actress Sandhya, was his co-star in Do Aankhen Barah Haath as well as the heroine of his films such as Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Navrang, Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli and Sehra.

He died on 30 October 1990 in Mumbai. The V. Shantaram Award was constituted by Central Government and Maharashtra State Government in his honour.