Cinema theatre veteran Ashalata Wabgaonkar dies of Covid

KOLHAPUR: Veteran actor Ashalata Wabgaonkar, who died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, carved out a name for herself as a character actor par excellence over a career spanning over six decades.
Hailing from Goa, Ashalata shifted to Mumbai when she was in school. She learnt music from the late Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki.
Her love for music brought her to theatre initially and later to screen.She used to sing Konkani songs on All India Radio, Mumbai, before she was spotted by Marathi theatre veterans.
Ashalata made her debut in Marathi theatre as a teenager in ‘Sangeet Sanshaykallol’, a humorous play written by the late playwright, Govind Ballal Deval.
Known for her magical voice, she was closely associated with musical Marathi theatre too. She had major roles in famous Marathi plays like ‘Sangeet Sharda’, ‘Sangeet Mruchhakatik’, ‘Vidushak’, ‘Garudzep’ and ‘Good Bye Doctor’.
Ashalata’s rise to fame came with her role in ‘Sangeet Matsyagandha’, written by the late Vasant Kanetkar. Later, she also performed in ‘Sangeet Bhavbandhan’, written by the late Ram Ganesh Gadkari.
She also played character roles in dramas like ‘Raygadala Jewha Jaag Yete’, ‘Garambicha Bapu’ and ‘Bhaubandki’.
Over the course of her prolific career, Ashalata was associated with all major and prestigious theatre companies like The Goa Hindu Association, Chandralekha, Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and Abhijat.
She had performed with Pu La Deshpande in ‘Varyawarchi Warat’.
Known as a character actress, Ashalata played a plethora of roles.
Eminent Hindi director Hrishikesh Mukherjee offered her role in his movie, ‘Apne Paraye’, along with Amol Palekar and Girish Karnad. She was the supportive sister-in-law to Shabana Azmi in ‘Apne Paraye’ and ‘Swami’, and to Smita Patil in ‘Umbartha’, with their children gravitating to her warm persona for bedtime stories and lullabies.
Ashalata’s stoic act as grandmother of Neesha Singh, who plays a rape victim in ‘Ankush’, embodied the song ‘Itni shakti hamein dena daata’.
Equally, her broom chase of philandering husband (Ashok Kumar) in ‘Shaukeen’ is etched in the audience’s memory.
Ashalata acted in around 200 Hindi and 50 Marathi movies. Her roles in Marathi moves like ‘Maherchi Sadi’, ‘Umbartha’, ‘Vahinichi Maya’, ‘Sutradhar’ and ‘Navri Mile Navryala’ are well-remembered.
Among the Hindi movies she acted in include ‘Ankush’, ‘Agnisakshi’, ‘Namak Halaal’, ‘Coolie’, ‘Sharabi’, ‘Woh Saat Din’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Ghayal’, ‘Shoukin’ and ‘Yeh To Kamal Ho Gaya’. Her autobiography ‘Gard Sabhowati’ documents her journey in the industry.
Azmi tweeted of her co-actor, “Deeply saddened. I had the pleasure of working with Ashalataji in Basu Chatterjee’s ‘Apne Paraye’ and she was a delight to work with. Condolences to the family.”
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, actors Deepti Naval, Ashok Saraf, Renuka Shahane, Sachin and Zarina Wahab, apart from former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudhir Mungantiwar mourned her loss on Tuesday.
The chief minister said, “Hailing from a Marathi family, Ashalataji excelled in Marathi musical theatre and bilingual cinema apart from being a poetess and singer. It seemed as if the parts she played were especially written for her. She was a guiding light to new upcoming actors also. In her, we have lost a talented, well-rounded artiste.”
Ashalata is survived by a son. Her last rites were performed in Satara.