PUNE: A special appreciation ceremony to honor the backstage artists and technicians who work selflessly behind the scenes in theatre was organized by the Vijay Patwardhan Foundation in association with Vamsi Creations. Held at the Bharat Natya Mandir on Tuesday evening, the event felicitated the true pillars behind the success of Marathi theatre.

Speaking at the event, acclaimed filmmaker and actor Pravin Tarde emphasized the resilience of theatre. “Theatre teaches us how to struggle. A theatre house is where an actor truly gets trained, and we must stand firmly behind the backstage crew. Help must be provided and embraced during challenging times,” Tarde said.

Highlighting his own philanthropic efforts, he added, “Through the earnings of our movie Deool Band 2, we are supporting the children of farmers who committed suicide. We are also providing medical and educational financial aid to several individuals within the entertainment industry. Our only condition is that once the beneficiaries become self-reliant, they must pass on the kindness and help other needy individuals.”

The event was graced by notable personalities, including actor Tejas Barve, Deool Band 2 writer-director Pravin Tarde, President of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal Meghraj Rajebhosle, Vijay Patwardhan, and Vrushali Patwardhan. The dignitaries collectively praised the indispensable contribution of backstage artists to the success of any play. The initiative was guided by Kapil Joshi, Prasad Shivarkar, Tejas Deodhar, Ullesh Khandare, and Sulekha Talwalkar.

Overcoming Shortages Through Technical Training

Emphasizing the need for skill development, Meghraj Rajebhosle noted, “For the theatre and film industry to progress, we need to foster technically skilled workers. For instance, it has become difficult to find helpers skilled in traditional draping, like sarees and dhotis. We must train our technicians through specialized workshops. The Patwardhan Foundation’s initiative to honor backstage artists is highly commendable.”

Echoing his thoughts, Vijay Patwardhan remarked, “Backstage artists are the real celebrities because our success is built on their hard work. We strive to give them the appreciation they rightly deserve.”

Actor Tejas Barve added, “The kingmakers who turn someone into a king are the ones who truly matter. That is why backstage artists are vital, and it is imperative that they get due recognition. This initiative deserves to grow on an even larger scale.”

Honoring the Backstage “Kingmakers”

The speakers highlighted that behind every successful performance on stage, there are countless hands working tirelessly on lighting, set design, makeup, hair styling, music arrangement, props, costumes, management, catering, and transport.

For their outstanding contributions, the following individuals were honored with awards: Gajendra Vani (Lighting Assistant),Abhijit Inamdar (Music Arrangement), Mandar Bapat (Manager), Kamlesh Biche (Makeup Artist), Nilesh Khedkar (Properties), Deepak Kamble (Costumes), Sandeep Deshmukh (Set Design & Construction), Sanjay Visal (Catering Management), Madhura Tamhankar (Hair Styling), Sanjay Choukhande (Driver).

The event saw the attendance of several prominent dignitaries from the industry, including Prasad Shivarkar, Dhananjay Amonkar, Sunil Godbole, Surendra Gokhale, Suresh Jog, Rajani Bhat, and Jayamala Inamdar.