Munbai: Renowned Marathi, Hindi films and stage actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar 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 Tuesday morning.
She has acted in more than 100 Hindi and Marathi movies. Some of her Marathi plays are Guntata Hridhya He, Varyavarchi Varaat, Chinna (with Smita Patil and Sadashiv Amrapurkar) and Mahananda.
Her Marathi stage career took off with the musical play Matsyagandha. She was introduced in Hindi films by Basu Chatterjee in Apne Paraye (along with Bharati Achrekar) for which she was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She starred in films such as Ankush (1986), Apne Paraye (1980), Ahista Ahista, Shaukeen, Woh Saat Din, Namak Halaal and Yaadon Ki Kasam (1985).
She received training in classical music and is a fine Marathi Natyasangeet singer. Some of her Marathi films are Umbartha, Sutradhar, Navri Mile Navryala and Vahinichi Maya. “Gard Sabhowati”, a book authored by Ashalata Wabgaonkar and published by Lotus Publications, Mumbai, India depicts the memories and journey of the author in the film industry