News

Veteran actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar, who was reportedly suffering from Covid-19, died in the early hours of Tuesday after a four-day battle with her illness at a private hospital in Satara.

She was 79 and had been hospitalized in a critical condition last weekend. The end came at the hospital.

Former Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat, confirmed the news in a tweet, paying tribute to the Goa-born actress.

"Deeply pained by the passing away of acclaimed Goan Artist Ashalata Wabgaonkar. Her splendid performances in theatre & films will keep inspiring the generations to come. My condolences to her family & fans. May her soul rest in peace," Kamat tweeted.

Ashalata worked in over 100 Hindi and Marathi films. Her notable Hindi films include "Apne Paraye", "Ankush", "Woh 7 Din", "Ahista Ahista", "Shaukeen", and "Namak Halal". Her Marathi films include "Umbartha", "Sutradhar", and "Vahinichi Maya".

Ashalata had acted in theatre too, notably the Marathi plays...

'Chokher Bali' (2003): One of writer Rabindranath Tagore‘s most admired works comes to the big screen in this passionate tale of discontent, deceit, and independence. Young widow Binodini (Aishwarya Rai) lives in a time when widows are forced into a life of penitence. When her husband dies, Binodini returns to her village to live with a relative Rajlakshmi (Lily Chakavarty), her son Mahendra (Prasenjit Chatterjee), and his wife Ashalata (Raima Sen). Mahendra, a former love interest of Binodini’s, finds himself unhappy with his naïve wife and attracted to the beautiful widow. After an affair between the pair begins, Mahendra’s best friend Beharie (Tota Roy Chowdhurry) steps into the picture, complicating the situation further. All of the characters become tangled in the web of lies that Binodini spins and the audience is left to ponder the question: Is she a progressive woman seeking independence or a manipulative black widow?...