“The need to safeguard artistic freedom is more urgent than ever,” says Amol Palekar

Actor-director Amol Palekar will receive META's Lifetime Achievement award for 2026 on March 25 in New Delhi.

One of post-Independence India’s influential theatre figures, Amol Palekar’s experimental ethos and disciplined artistry have profoundly influenced Marathi and Hindi performance traditions.

Beginning as a fine arts postgraduate at the Sir J.J. School of Art, he engaged deeply with Marathi theatre under the mentorship of the formidable Satyadev Dubey, appearing in landmark productions such as Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe, Hayavadana, and Adhe Adhure.

In 1972, Palekar founded his own troupe, Aniket, to champion unconventional projects — directing and acting in plays such as Gochi, the procession-style Juloos and Chal Re Bhoplya Tunuk Tunuk, often staged in open spaces or non-traditional venues to disrupt passive spectatorship and bring theatre closer to everyday realities.

Preferring restraint, precision and fidelity to the written word instead of flashy improvisation, the strong advocate for free speech infused his stagecraft with a painter’s eye for composition and subtlety, qualities that later defined his naturalistic screen presence.

While Palekar’s contemporaries became prisoners of their image, he remained determined not to be typecast. In fact, he says, he wrote his memoir Viewfinder to reintroduce himself beyond the image of a boy next door or the Golmaal actor.

Preparing for one more comeback under the direction of his doughty partner Sandhya Gokhale, the veteran speaks about how his work has long embodied the abiding power of subtle revolution.