Kamlabai Gokhale

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Kamlabai Gokhale was the first Indian movie actress, along with her mother Durgabai Kamat. The Era when social restrictions were imposed on women, Kamlabai achieved success as a stage actress and also become the first lady of the Indian cinema. Kamlabai started her acting career by performing at a stage show at the age of four. Around 1912-1913, Kamlabai bagged the lead role in Dadasaheb Phalke’s movie ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’. In the same movie, Durgabai was roped in the role of Parvati. In the early years, Dadasaheb Phalke use to introduce young male Salunke to play a female lead in his movies like ‘Raja Harishchandra’. It was due to lack of actresses in that era.
Kamlabai became a celebrity at the age of 15. Kamlabai then got married to the actor Raghunathrao Gokhale who uses to play female roles in ‘Kirloskar Natak Company’. Later, Raghunathrao moved to his brother’s company where Kamlabai and Durgabai were employed and soon the young couple was cast as the new lead pair of the company. They mostly did a historic and mythological based stage shows. In those days, people use to advertise their movies through handbills and sometimes, Kamlabai and Raghunathrao used to accompany the distributers.
Kamlabai struggled a lot in her career as women were not allowed to move freely in those years. After the death of her husband, Kamlabai use to work hard. She use to earn Rs. 225 and other expenses were paid by the company. Even her children use to sell comics and use to earn two annas at that time. During her plays like ‘Janta Janardhan’ and ‘Manapman’ where she played Anadibai, people used to wait outside the theatre in Pune with stones in their hands to hit her.
Kamlabai had worked with companies like ‘Manohar Street Sangeet Natak Mandal’ and ‘Natya Kala Prasarak’. In 1930, Kamlabai worked under the freedom fighter Veer Savarkar in the play ‘Ushapp’. She had also acted in a Kannada play ‘Lanka Dahan’.
In later years, Kamlabai worked in Hindi movies like ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’ in 1933, ‘Prabhu Ka Pyara’ in 1936, ‘Chabukwali’ in 1938, ‘Stunt King’ in 1944, ‘Haqdar’ in 1946, ‘Sona Chandi’ in 1946, ‘Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag’ in 1952, ‘Hulchul’ in 1971 and few more. She had overall worked in around 35 movies and her last film was ‘Gehrayee’ in 1980. In 1992, she was seen in a documentary which was based on her life.