Ramesh Deo

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gineers, who hold the prestige of designing the royal Jodhpur Palace. When Kolhapur King, Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja invited them to Kolhapur they accepted his invitation and came to Kolhapur and worked as Chief Engineer to Shahu Maharaj. Ramesh Deo’s father was not interested in engineering. He acquired degree in Law and became a legal advisor at Shahu Maharaj empire but after independence when monarchy was abolished he became a famous Judge in the court of Kolhapur. His father was interested in films. Once there was film shooting of Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor’s film Awaara at Kolhapur. His father along with young Ramesh had gone to watch shooting. Incidentally, the child actor to play a role did not turn up. Hence film director Raj Kapoor asked young Ramesh that will he act. Ramesh looked at his father. His father gave permission and Ramesh Deo did his life’s first film opposite legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor in 1947. After Awaara, Ramesh Deo focused on his studies and never did any films. His family aspired him to join Military and serve Indian Army.

Ramesh Deo’s accidental debut in Marathi Cinema Ramesh Deo had not planned to become hero in films. He became actor accidently. During college Ramesh Deo wanted to flatter a girl that he had good contacts in films. One day the girl and her friends forced Ramesh to take them to show film shooting. Ramesh Deo was in a fix. But when the girls insisted he had to bow down. Fortunately a shooting was going on in Kolhapure. He took the group of college students to the shooting but before reaching the spot he asked them to wait and went to cajole the film unit. But to his pleasant surprise, the film director, Dinkar Patil was shooting a college gathering sequence. Since all the junior artists in Kolhapur were macular and looked like wrestler, Patil was in search of real college students and watching Ramesh Deo and his college group he welcomed them and asked them do a brief scene. He even paid them. The girls were paid Rs 10 and boys Rs 8! After doing a small role Ramesh Deo was bitten by the bug of acting and joined as a junior artiste. He was paid Rs 25, an enormous amount in the 50’s, for a day’s work. Soon Ramesh Deo got Marathi film Andhala Magto Ek Dola (1955) as a lead villain. The movie was hit and he did many films like Paishyacha Paaus, Umaj Padel Tar, Saata Janmachi Sobti , Devghar, Gath Padli Thaka Thaka etc His popularity as villain became so popular that soon he was made hero. He did as many 190 films and still is active at the age of 88. Ramesh Deo’s journey into Hindi films When Ramesh Deo was riding high in Marathi films and was the highest paid actor, one day his ego was shattered by a roadside tea vendor. It so happened that when he was going for shooting to a village Radhanagri, few kilometers away from Kolhapur, suddenly on way his car got a puncture. As the driver took time to change the tyre, Deo decided to have tea at roadside. The tea vendor gave him tea in dirty aluminum cups, while on one side he had a set of clean glass cups. Ramesh Deo in anger, asked the vendor, why he did not serve him tea in glass cups? The tea vendor scornfully replied that it was meant only for VIP and film stars. Deo was stunned and retorted that even he is top Marathi film hero. The tea vendor mocked Deo and pointing at pictures of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala which he had cut from magazines and stuck on the wall said, “Yeh hero hai!” (These are the film stars). That day Ramesh Deo took a pledge that he will become an actor in Hindi cinema. Ramesh Deo was the most stylish villain Even before Shatrughan Sinha entered Bollywood, it was Ramesh Deo who introduced the trend of stylish villains. He was one villain whom film buffs loved. Since Ramesh Deo was a big name as a villain in Marathi films hence when Rajshri Films made their debut film Aarti (1962) they signed him in a cameo as villain. The film was big hit and Ramesh Deo as the stylish villain became hit. Soon his film Teen Bahuraniyan became hit and he became quite popular down South films. With films like Jeevan Mrityu, Khilona, Saraswatichandra, Kora Kagaz, Prem Nagar etc. he was the most sought after character actor in the 70’s. He worked with Bollywood’s top stars like Amitabh Bachchan (Khuddaar), Rajesh Khanna (Anand), Shatrughan Sinha (Mere Apne), Dharmendra (Jeevan Mrityu), Meena Kumari ( Mere Apne) etc.