ASHALATA WABKAR SUCCUMBS TO COVID 19 WHILE SHOOTING FOR MARATHI SERIAL AAI KALUBAI

ASHALATA WABKAR SUCCUMBS TO COVID 19 WHILE SHOOTING FOR MARATHI SERIAL AAI KALUBAI

Jyothi Venkatesh

The veteran actress Ashalata Wabkar who had worked in Marathi, Hindi films and stage passed away after a four-day battle with Covid-19 at a private hospital in Satara. She was 79. She was in a critical condition when admitted to a private hospital last weekend. The end came at the hospital early on today Tuesday morning at 4:45 am. Popularly known as Ashalata, the Goa-born actress had reportedly contracted the infection during the shooting of a teleserial called Aai Kalubai. Her last rites will be performed in Satara.Ashalata had gone to Satara to participate in the shooting of Marathi serial “Aai Kalubai” where she was tested Corona positive.

Ashalata Wabgaonkar has many great Hindi films to her credit. Her first Hindi film was ‘Zanjeer’. In this film, Ashalata Wabgaonkar played the role of Amitabh Bachchan’s step mother. The film was released in the year 1973. It was however with Basu Chatterjee’s film Apne Paraye that Ashalata got her real identity as an actress with her own potential to carry any role with aplomb. For this film, she received the Filmfare Best Co-Artist Award. The actress had done many memorable films including Ankush, Apne Paraye, Ahista Ahista, Shaukin, Woh Saat Din, Namak Halal and Yaadon Ki Kasam, besides also authoring a book, “Gard Sabhowati”.

It is my personal loss since I had the good fortune to act along with her in a Marathi TV serial called Jibela Kaahi Haad way back in the year 2000. It was telecast on Zee Marathi which was then known as Alpha TV. It was with the Marathi TV serial Jibela Kaahi Haad that Shreyas Talpade was introduced on the small screen in that year, long before he was welcomed by the Hindi as well as the Marathi film industry.

In the serial, while I played a comic South Indian character called Subramaniam, Ashalata played the role of my landlady and I was in love with her daughter in the serial produced by Marathi pr turned pro Kishore Dargalkar and directed by Baba which was a big hit and aired every week in those good old days when daily soaps had not started penetrating the TV. Ashalata Wabkar was very amicable and friendly with her co-actors and also full of life at 59 but very shy and used to keep hersell in a corner of the sets on location with a best seller in her hands in between the shots.

I will certainly miss the ever smiling lady and curse myself that I had not bothered to keep in touch with her in spite of the fact that she had extended a hearty invitation to me to visit her at her house any time I felt like meeting her.

 

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