Phule was born in 1930 in Pune as Nilkanth Krushnaji Phule in a
Mali (gardener) family. He is the great grand son of Indian social reformer
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. He was involved in the
independence movement. According to his interview in a serial 'Vastraharan' on a Marathi channel, he was a freedom fighter from Pune. Phule's first job was that of a gardener at the
Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, aged 17. He used to get a salary of Rs. 80 per month, out of which, he used to donate Rs. 10 to the Rashtriya Seva Dal, a social organization he was involved with. He wanted to pursue his gardening career forward, but due to lack of financial support, he could not start his own
plant nursery. During this time, at the age of 20, Nilu was inspired by
Rabindranath Tagore's writings and went on to write a drama,
Udyan. His composing for the drama
Yerya Gabalache Kam Nahi during the 1957 Lok Sabha elections garnered him fame. ==Acting career==