Veteran actress Durga Khote, whose career spanned 5 decades right from the 1930s to the 80s, did not just set a striking example for actresses of the next generations but for womankind as a whole. She set something of a record by completing her higher secondary education at a missionary school and then enrolling in a bachelor’s degree programme during a time when it was still very normal for women to be largely unlettered and unschooled.
Durga Khote was somewhat of a pioneer since she dared to appear in public and play female roles during a time when male actors typically played female characters. Acting was considered a job too bold for a woman when she started her career. September 22 is the memorial day of Durga Khote who passed away on this date in 1991. On the occasion of her memorial day, let us take a look at her inspiring journey.
Durga Khote was born on January 14, 1905 in Mumbai. Breaking stereotypes as far as the education of women goes, she studied at Cathedral High School and St. Xavier’s College where she enrolled in a BA course. At the age of 18, she got married into a rich family. Her husband Bishwanath was a mechanical engineer. He died when Durga was only 20 years old.
Now a widowed mother, Durga had to take care of her little sons Bakul and Harin. Being an educated woman, she started providing tuition but that was not enough to meet her expenses. To provide for her kids, she had to turn into films, a newly opening avenue. In doing so, she became a pioneer of sorts.
Durga Khote made her acting debut in the obscure silent movie Farebi Jaal in 1931. She chose to leave the movie business after the first movie received negative reviews, which made her lose confidence right away. Following this, she drew the attention of director V Shantaram from the movie Ittefaq. He offered Durga Khote the role of Taaramati, the main character in the movie Ayodhyecha Raja. The movie was produced by Prabhat Studios in both Hindi and Marathi.
The film turned out to be a success and Durga Khote was unanimously praised by the very people who had criticised her. She became a star overnight. The actress next did another film by Prabhat Studio named Maya Machindra where she played a queen. She played the character of Jodhabai in the movie Mughal-e-Azam which remains her most memorable role to date.
She made several short films with her second husband Rashid Khan for the production house Fact Films. Durga Khote worked in the film industry for almost 50 years and appeared in almost 200 films. She was also honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Her last film was 1980s Karz after which she retired.
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