International Women's Day 2022: Meet Durgabai Kamat, first female actor of Indian Cinema

Creating a gender-equal world has always been a dream of every human being who believes in the concept of equality. Women have always craved a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, a world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive, a world where difference is valued and celebrated, a world in which together we can forge women's equality. International Women's Day is arriving and UN Women recently released a statement, which was all about this year's theme for the big day, celebrated on March 8. The statement read, "The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow."

The first female actor of Indian cinema: Durgabai Kamat

In an era when theatre and cinema were considered taboo for women, the lowest of low professions, no women wanted to take part in it. It's around this time when Dadasaheb Phalke, who is popularly known as the father of Indian cinema, was compelled to cast a male actor Anna Salunke as the female lead in his first film, Raja Harishchandra. Choosing to not give up easily, Dadasaheb found a single mother Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Gokhale. Durgabai became the first female actor of Indian cinema, while her daughter Kamlabai became the first female child actor in the industry.

Durgabai Kamat was a Marathi actor and was born in a Brahmin family. Dadasaheb introduced Kamat in his 1913 second movie Mohini Bhasmasur as a leading lady Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva, while her daughter Kamlabai Gokhale (born Kamlabai Kamat), played the role of Mohini.

More on Durgabai Kamat's challenging life

Durgabai had faced severe threats to her career not only from women but from the men too. Her daughter, once said in an interview, "In those days, men played the female roles. So the fiercest opposition to my mother and me came from these men-we were their first natural enemies. Some companies just would not hire women as a rule..." Even though Durgabai faced massive challenges, she remains largely forgotten. Kamlabai went on to become a popular film actress. Her movie career spanned over 70 years and her last film was Gehrayee in 1980.

Durgabai Kamat was the maternal grandmother of veteran Marathi actor Chandrakant Gokhale and the great-grandmother of actors Vikram Gokhale and Mohan Gokhale. On May 17, 1997, she died at the age of 98 in Pune, Maharashtra.

Image: Instagram/@thebetterindia.hindi