Smita
Was
A
Simple,
Unpretentious
Actress
With
No
Starry
Airs
Her
mother
Vidyatai
Patil
recalled
in
one
of
her
interviews, Once
she
had
to
catch
a
flight
to
Goa
to
shoot
for
Bhumika.
That
day
my
maid
was
absent.
Quickly,
she
ran
into
the
kitchen
and
washed
all
the
utensils.
She
never
depended
on
a
driver;
she
had
no
issues
washing
her
car
and
driving
away.
Even
after
she
became
famous
there
was
no
change
in
her
attitude.
She
used
to
dress
like
a
bhikaran
(a
tramp).
She'd
wear
a
pair
of
jeans,
pull
on
a
kurta
(even
her
father's),
Kolhapuri
chappals,
tie
her
hair
into
a
bun
and
rush
out.
She
never
needed
a
mirror.
Once
she
was
to
meet
a
well-known
editor
for
an
interview
at
a
restaurant.
He
couldn't
recognise
her.
He
kept
waiting
for
‘actress
Smita
Patil',
till
she
introduced
herself.
They
both
burst
out
laughing."
Heart
Of
Gold
Her
mother
further
reveals,
"Years
after
her
death,
we
met
a
lady
whose
husband
(a
clapper
boy)
she
had
helped.
She
recalled,
‘Smitaji
emptied
her
purse
and
gave
my
husband
money
to
get
a
tin
roof
so
that
my
children
would
be
protected
in
the
monsoon'."
She
Was
Destined
To
Become
An
Actress
Speaking
about
it
in
one
of
her
earlier
interviews,
Smita
opened
up,
"It
just
fell in
my
lap. I
was
working
on
television
as
an
announcer
and
I
started
getting
commercial
offers.
At
first,
I
just
kept
looking
down
and
saying
no
because
I
had
no
idea
what
the
industry
was.
I
was
brought
up
very strictly. I
was
involved
in
social
work
and
as
a
student
I
never
saw
films."
Smita
Had
A
Fun
Side
To
Her
As
Well
She
shared
a
beautiful
relationship
with
actress
Ashalata
(who
played
her
sister-in-law
in
Umbartha).
She
lovingly
called
her
Mau.
Once
it
was
pouring,
she
asked
Ashalata
to
get
ready
and
drove
her
at
neck-break
speed
to
Khandala,
pulling
the
brakes
loudly
at
the
Duke's
Nose
peak.
A
terrified
Ashalata
told
her,
"Smita,
I
don't
have
insurance!"
To
which
she
laughed
and
said,
"Imagine
the
fun
if
tomorrow
the
headlines
carry,
‘Smita
and
Ashalata
died
in
a
car
crash'!"
Juggling
Between
Commercial
&
Parallel
Cinema
"There
are
very
few
actresses
who
can
look
young
and
do
mature
roles
as
well.
Shabana
and
me,
baaki
koi
hai
nahin.
So
whenever
you
need
to
look
dignified
in
a
mature
role,
you
put
a
little
grey
in
your
hair
and
there
you
are,"
the
actress
said
in
an
old
Filmfare
interview.
On
A
Similar
Note,
Here
Are
Some
Of
Her
Rare
Pictures
The
'Queens
Of
New
Wave
cinema'-
Shabana
Azmi,
Dipti
Naval
and
Smita
Patil
on
a
magazine
cover.
This
is
a
cinephile's
absolute
delight!
Smita
Patil
With
Nutan
It's
elegant
at
its
best.
Two
powerful
performances
who
let
their
acting
prowess
do
all
the
talking!
The
Magical
Trio
Smita
Patel
clicked
with
Dev
Anand
and
Rakhee
on
the
sets
of
a
film.