<span style="color: #222222;">National Award Winning Marathi Film maker Sumitra Bhave passed away today in Pune. She was 78.&nbsp; Ms Bhave was suffering from age related illness for &nbsp;some time.&nbsp; After the popularity of early short films like 'Bai' and 'Pani', she made her first full-length film 'Doghi' in 1995 following which, her films 'Dahavi F', 'Vastupurush', 'Devarai', 'Badha', 'Nital', 'Ek Kap Chya', 'Gho Mala Asla Hawa', 'Kasav' and 'Astu' were released. Her films were acclaimed at international film festivals and many films have won state and national awards too. Made under the banner of 'Strange Production' with filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar their films dealt with various social issues and have a large fan base. Bhave graduated from the Tata Institute of Sociology in Mumbai with a degree in Rural Development. After deciding to work as a full-time sociologist, Sumitra Bhave accidentally turned to short film making. However, after realizing the power of this medium, she decided to go into full-time film production.&nbsp;</span><br />