India’s first female actor, Durga Bai Kamat was the grandmother of famous Marathi actor Chandrakant Gokhale and great-grandmother of ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ actor Vikram Gokhale.
When we talk about the first female star of Indian cinema, the name Devika Rani comes up first on the internet. She made her debut in the year 1933 with the film ‘Karma’ and was in the news for her kissing scene in her very first film. If we search a little more on the internet, the name of ‘Fatima Begum’ also comes up as the first female artist. The late actor made her debut in Hindi cinema in the year 1922 through Ardeshir Irani’s silent film ‘Veer Abhimanyu.’ Later, she turned producer-director. But, do you know that this information available on the internet is false because Indian cinema got its first female artist with the 1913 film ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’.
Late actor Vikram Gokhale’s great-grandmother was India’s first female actor
In the year 2022, the film artists’ organisation Cine and Television Artist Association (CINTAA) held a tribute meeting in memory of veteran actor Vikram Gokhale. During this meeting, it was revealed that her great-grandmother has also been a part of the cinema. On further investigation, it is found that Gokhale’s great-grandmother is the first female star of Indian cinema, and her name was Durga Bai Kamat. The father of Indian cinema, Dada Saheb Phalke, gave Kamat a break in his second film, ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’ in November 1913.
When Dada Saheb Phalke produced his first film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in the year 1913, at that time, no female artist agreed to work in the film at that time, so Dada Saheb Phalke chose Anna Salunke for the role of Taramati. In that era, women working in films were looked down upon. When Vikram Gokhale’s great-grandmother worked in ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’, she also had to face a lot of criticism.
First child artist of India
Durga Bai Kamat played the role of Parvati in ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’ and in the same film, her daughter, Kamala Bai Gokhale played the role of Mohini. Kamala Bai Gokhale was just 13 years old at that time and thus she became the first female child artist of Indian cinema. In the year 1913, two female artists made their debut in the history of Indian cinema. It was a time when women working in performing arts were given the title of ‘Baiji’ and this title was also prevalent for prostitutes in those days.
On investigation, it was found that before working in films, Durga Bai joined a traveling theater company and used to travel around and act. Acting in theater was also not considered respectable then. Durga Bai belonged to a Brahmin family and there was a lot of uproar over her working in films and theater. Panchayats were held and people of the Brahmin community of that time boycotted Kamat. But it is said that she did not lose courage and remained steadfast on her path.
Personal life
Born in 1879, Durga had studied till the 7th standard. She was the grandmother of famous Marathi actor Chandrakant Gokhale and great-grandmother of actor Vikram Gokhale, who worked in ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. She married Anand Nanoskar, who was a history teacher at JJ School of Arts, Mumbai. It is said that this marriage did not last long and Durga Bai was forced to live alone with one of her daughters. Durga Bau Kamat had worked in about 70 films. Her last movie is said to be ‘Gaharay’ released in 1980. She died at the age of 117 in Pune.
