Renowned theatre and screen artiste Dr. Shriram Lagoo, known as much for his mastery of the craft as for his progressive views and social commitment, was cremated with full State honours on Friday.
Early in the morning, the thespian’s body lay fittingly on the premises of the Balgandharva Rangmandir — the iconic theatre where he thrilled and provoked audiences in equal measure with his sterling performances in plays like Natsamrat (Emperor of Acting) and Himalayachi Saavli (In the shadow of the Himalayas), among others.
Thousands of mourners congregated in respectful silence to pay their last respects to Dr. Lagoo, who passed away earlier this week aged 92, before he was finally laid to rest at the city’s Vaikunth crematorium. A 21-gun salute was given by the State police.
Citizens from all walks of life — stage and screen artistes, social activists, members of left-leaning outfits, politicians, commoners and students — gathered in ordered queues to pay their final tribute to the colossus of vernacular theatre.
Dr. Lagoo’s remains were placed in a glass casket draped in the Tricolour. Many were seen weeping, several refusing to believe that the ‘Natsamrat’ had given his final curtain call.
Politicians in attendance included State Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Pune MP Girish Bapat. Stage and screen luminaries like Dr. Jabbar Patel, who had memorably directed Dr. Lagoo in Saamna and Sinhasan, actor-director Amol Palekar, actors Nana Patekar and Urmila Matondkar and writer-director Ramdas Phutane, and social activist Baba Adhav paid floral tributes.
Several members of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), founded by the late rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar with whom Dr. Lagoo had a close and fruitful association, paid their respects to the late artiste.
Those gathered on the occasion spoke of the late actor as a “holistic” individual who transcended the world of stage and craft with his vital contribution to Maharashtra’s progressive movement.
“The theatre world has lost one of its brightest stars … several artistes built their careers by studying and emulating Dr. Lagoo’s craft. The common notion of an artiste is of a person with a big ego, but Dr. Lagoo had none of that. He was humility personified,” Mr. Bapat said.
Veteran theatre actor Jyoti Subhash said Dr. Lagoo’s death had left the theatre world orphaned and created a tremendous void in the State’s progressive movement.
“This was a man who publicly declared that ‘God must be retired’… he had a central role to play in the founding of the MANS … A versatile, multi-faceted, towering individual like him is irreplaceable,” said Nandini Jadhav of the MANS.
After mourners paid their last respects to Dr. Lagoo, the ambulance bearing his body departed for the Vaikuntha crematorium at the sound of three bells, signifying the start of a theatre performance.
As he was a staunch atheist, no ritual was conducted at the funeral.
