Kamlabai Gokhale

Kamlabai Gokhale Biography

Kamlabai Gokhale, also credited as Kamlabai Kamath was the first female artist/heroine and female child actress to appear onscreen in the 100 years of Indian cinema. Kamlabai Gokhale, along with her mother Durgabai Kamat acted in the second movie ever made in India. The movie was Mohini Bhasmasur, released in 1913 which featured female artists for the first time. The full length silent movie was made by none other than Father of Indian Cinema - Dadasaheb Phalke and it was the second movie made in India. Kamlabai Gokhale played the lead role of Maya in the movie while her mother played the parallel lead of goddess Parvathi. Kamlabai was only 14 years old then and thus credited both as the first heroine and first female child actress on Indian silver screen. Though it was a landmark in Indian cinema, female artists didn’t come forward to work in movies as it was a taboo in Indian society those days when actresses were considered as prostitutes.

Later many of the artists of her family entered Hindi and Marathi film world. She was the mother of veteran Marathi actor Chandrakant Gokhale. National award winning actor Vikram Gokhale and Mohan Gokhale are her grandchildren. She was married to Raghunathrao Gokhale and had three children. But she became a widow at the age of 25, pregnant with the third child.

Women acting in theatre and cinema were considered a taboo in the early 1900s. For the same reason when Dadasaheb Phalke made first Indian feature film, he was forced to employ male artists in the female roles. But with the second movie, he started employing female artists handling female roles. Thus Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Ghokhle played first women on Indian screen. Kamlabai, also a stage actress by profession is credited to perform the first choreographed song on Indian screen. She danced as Mohini enticing Bhasmasura and it was choreographed by none other than Phalke.

Published: N/A

Updated: June 27, 2014