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1967-Panshikar produced a Musical play 'Katyar Kaljat Ghusli', written and directed by Mr. Purushottam Darvhekar. This play turned out to be an all time classic, one which presented Indian Classical Music in all its splendor. The music is a milestone in the history of Marathi Musical Theatre, and was scored by the eminent Vocalist, and Late Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande, and this role virtually bestowed upon him immortality in Marathi Musical Theatre. The sets of this grand production were designed by Mr. shyam Adarkar and this play performed more than 525 shows over a span of year 16 years. There are numerous fans who claim to have seen this play more than a hundred times. 1968 - Panshikar produced another play by Prof. Vasant Kanetkar, called 'Ithe Oshalala Mrutyu'. This historical Magnum Opus had an all-star cast Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar (as Sambhaji), Mr. Chittaranjan Kolhatkar (as Ganoji), Ms. Sudha Karmarkar (as Yesubai) and Panshikar himself as Shahenshah Aurangzeb. Grand sets and costumes, classy penmanship by the Author and superb performances by the cast took this play to great heights of popularity. Panshikar's portrayal of the cunning and scheming Aurangzeb became extremely popular. Over the last 35 years, the play has performed more than 800 shows, and still draws full houses. Just as the villain of 'To Mee Navech' (played by Panshikar) ended up as a 'lovable rascal' in public perception, the villainish Aurangzeb of this play also garnered popularity beyond logical explanation. Thus, a play that was written to showcase Sambhaji, ended up showcasing Aurangzeb instead. The glamorous role of Sambhaji was played in some shows by Master Dattaram, a Sangeet Natak Academy awardee. This role also provided the first commercial Theatre break for another Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Dr. Shriram Lagoo. |
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