#ETimesTrendsetters: Smita Patil is a fashion trailblazer whose raw and desi looks continue to inspire

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These vintage photos capture the raw beauty of legendary actress Smita Patil.

01 / 20

#ETimesTrendsetters: Smita Patil is a fashion trailblazer whose raw and desi looks continue to inspire

Smita Patil— a true definition of an absolute 'star,' is an icon that the Indian film industry needed. Her movies and personality were both magnetic. There was something about her that felt innately personal. It was as if, through the camera, she was speaking directly to the audience. It is distressing to witness that despite her prolific career, there hasn't been much of an active effort to preserve her legacy. Years later, her characters in films are subjects of discussion at film festivals and her name is taken in the list of India's fiercest feminists. Patil's on-screen appearances were drastically different from her co-actors in the 1980s. Her looks were never too glamorous, but raw and desi that was very real and relatable. Unlike Bollywood's obsession with 'fair skin,' Patil kept her features natural, inspiring women to be confident in their own skin. Her fearless individuality makes her a trendsetter.

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02 / 20

Born on October 17, 1955, Smita Patil grew up in Pune. She never intended to be an actor, but her striking looks and mannerisms made her the favourite of student films in college and a newsreader for Doordarshan in Mumbai.

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03 / 20

Smita Patil was discovered by ace filmmaker Shyam Benegal in the early 1970s. He was struck by her beauty. He casted her in his 1974 children's film 'Chandrandas Chor.' It was an unconventional casting choice, given that Patil was dark-skinned— something that she hold up valiantly in a country that is widely popular for its (annoying) fascination with skin whitening.

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04 / 20

Thus started one of Bollywood's most illustrious careers. Patil became Benegal's favourite and she did most of his films in the 1970s and 1980s.

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05 / 20

Unlike other actresses of her time, Patil favoured small-budget films with a strong storyline. Being a champion of women's rights and an outspoken feminist, she chose roles that portrayed distressed yet strong and revolutionary women— case in point 1987 'Mirch Masala.'

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06 / 20

Patil even conquered the glitzy world of Bollywood too. With memorable performances in movies like 'Shakti,' 'Namak Halaal,' 'Aakhir Kyon' and a few more. Over the years, she proved that she was the versatile actor any filmmaker would love to work with.

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07 / 20

For Patil, there was definitely a fine line between commercial and parallel cinema, and she worked with an ease that no one had seen before.

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08 / 20

Smita Patil was not just any other actress of her time. Where her colleagues were creating a storm in fashion with their glamorous looks and accentuated features, she opted for all things minimalist.

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09 / 20