Celeb in the Spotlight: Durgabai Kamat

 

This week, on the event of International Women's Day, BollyCurry is here to pay respect to the woman who is one of the biggest players in paving the way for women to enter the male-dominated Indian movie industry. Amongst many, one name that made an outstanding contribution in the history of Indian cinema is of Durgabai Kamat, the first female actress.

 

 

Durgabai Kamat of Assonora, Bardez, was born in 1899. In 1903, at quite a young age, she separated from her husband Anand Nanoskar who was a history professor at the J.J. School of Art. With the responsibility of her daughter at hand, Kamat then joined a traveling theater company. This act of hers enraged the Maharashtrian Brahmins who banished her from the community. Despite her legendary beauty, Kamat saw numerous failures when she first started her career. The presence of a female on the stage was severely opposed by men who felt threatened with women entering the arena. Apart from this, she was seen as a social outcast by people as women in performing arts were considered no less than prostitutes during that time.

 

Kamat first featured in Phalke's movie Mohini Bhasmasur where she played Goddess Parvati, while the lead Mohini was played by her daughter Kamalabai Gokhale who went on to become the first female child actress. Kamat was a woman with immense talent and hard work imbibed in her. Her daughter has sung many praises about her mother's talents including her ability to paint, sing and play numerous instruments like the dilruba, been, kartal and sitar. Kamat was also fairly educated for a woman at that time, having finished seventh grade, which was considered the final year of schooling in those days. She even attempted to give her daughter an education by home-schooling her while they were on the move with the travelling theater company.

 

Kamat's act encouraged many other women to work in cinema, but it wasn't until much later that the numbers increased manifold. The legacy of acting continued with Kamat's daughter Kamlabai Gokhale, her grandson, the veteran Marathi actor Chandrakant Gokhale, and her great-grandsons, Vikram Gokhale and Mohan Gokhale. She lived her last on May 17, 1997 in Pune, Maharashtra, at the age of 97.

 

Durgabai Kamat carved a niche for herself in the film industry by going against societal norms that opposed women from making a career for themselves in the field of cinema. Hence, on this special event of Women's Day, we not only salute her perseverance and courage to stand up for herself and her belief in the talent of acting, but remember the legacy she left behind. On that note we also ask you to take a couple minutes to comment on the women in your lives that might have become an integral part and perhaps an inspiration.

 

Writer: Pooja B.

Editor(s): Komal P. and Gunia M.

Graphics: Komal P.