Dilip Prabhawalkar

Biography:  Dilip Prabhawalkar is an Indian Marathi film and television actor. Although he has established himself as a prominent Marathi stage and movie actor for a while now, he became particularly known on the national scene for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 2006 film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. He appeared in Sarkar Raj as Rao Saab. He reprised the role for the 2007 Telugu language remake, Shankar Dada Zindabad. Dilip Prabhawalkar gained a master's degree in biophysics and a diploma from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, before working for a pharmaceutical company and as a partner in a video production unit. During this period, he performed as an actor in several children's plays and experimental plays staged at Chhabildas. His first major performance was in Lobh Nasava Hi Vinanti, a play written by Vijay Tendulkar and directed by Arvind Deshpande. In 1991, however, he decided to choose acting as a career. In children's and amateur theatre, Prabhavalkar was associated with Ratnakar Matkari's group and performed in all the plays staged by the troupe. His performances of a simpleton in Prem Kahani and Vidur in Aranyak - a play based on the Mahabharat - were awarded prizes at the Maharashtra State Drama Festival. He gained huge popularity because of his role as Chimanrao in the television serial "Chimanrao Gundyabhau" based on a series of short stories by C.V. Joshi. His Chimanrao is still popular and he recreated this character in his play Hasva Phasvi. Dilip Prabhawalkar also starred in a Bollywood movie Encounter:The Killing as an old gangster, Punappa Avade in 2002. However, he achieved nation-wide recognition when he portrayed the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the 2006 film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The film created a nation-wide awareness of Gandhian thoughts through the protagonist Munnabhai played by Sanjay Dutt.