Popularly known as Master, largely for his extremely meticulous approach to theatre and for his treatment of any rehearsal as a classroom lecture, Darvhekar was responsible in his own way for elevating Marathi theatre to the level of an intellectual exercise. He was one of the few directors who never staged any play without a rehearsal that ran for at least six months. `He almost taught a play more than directing it,' is an opinion most Marathi stage artistes who worked under him would unhesitantly express.

This was exactly why nearly every script he touched proved to be a roaring success at the box office. Darvhekar has to his credit hits like Ashrunchi Jhali Phule, Natasamrat, Thank You Mr Glad and Yethe Oshalala Mrutyu. Darvhekar believed he was cut outfor directing but later took to writing plays when the steady trickle of good scripts dried up abruptly at the peak of his career as director in the mid-50s. Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, a musical he wrote and directed, created history. The play is remembered, even today, as the finest musical Marathi theatre has ever had.

At the beginning of his career, Darvhekar was associated only with children's plays. Later, as a participant in the prestigious State Drama Competition, he turned to serious themes. His directorial potential was first spotted in this competition, the awards of which he kept bagging for years. This, and his association with almost all hits of the 1950s won him the honour of directing Natasamrat, unarguably the most highly-rated play in the history of Marathi theatre.

The highly sensitive portrayal of an aged couple, deserted by their children and rendered homeless, and the pain with which the play's protagonist Appasaheb Belvalkar asks ``Kuni Ghar Deta Ka Ghar?'' (Willsomeone give us a house please?) was a directorial achievement that has remained unsurpassed so far.

``Darvhekar never aspired for fame or money. Instead, he concentrated his talent on creating a new drama with the fabric of the old one,'' said noted Marathi playwright-director-actor-musician, P L Deshpande, on Darvhekar's death.