Pune, May 19 (IANS) Noted Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar died Monday at his residence here after prolonged illness. He was 80 years old.

Family sources said Tendulkar died at about 8 a.m. He had been unwell for the past two months.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Tendulkar was best known for his plays “Ghashiram Kotwal” and “Sakharam Binder”. He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement.

In 1977, Tendulkar won the National Film Award for his screenplay of Shyam Benegal’s movie “Manthan”. He also wrote the screenplays for other critically acclaimed films like “Nishant”, “Akrosh” and “Ardh Satya”.

Parinda adds:

Vijay Tendulkar had been suffering from Myasthenia Gravis and been in hospital for five weeks. Vijay Tendulkar was father to television actress-social activist Priya Tendulkar who died in 2002.