Veteran Marathi actress and Lavani artiste Madhu Kambikar died at her Pune home on Monday at the age of 73 after a long illness. Her last rites were performed in Yerawada later in the day.
Updated: October 13, 2026, 11:15 IST
Quick Read
- Madhu Kambikar, 73, died in Pune on October 12 after a prolonged illness that began with a stroke in 2016 (Hindustan Times, PTI).
- From a travelling tamasha troupe to more than 75 films: her role in Shapit won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Marathi).
- Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Lavani artiste Megha Ghadge and fellow actors paid tribute to her on Monday.
What happened on Monday
Kambikar died at around 7 am at her residence in Shastrinagar, Yerawada, Pune, the Hindustan Times reported. Poet Pradeep Niphadkar announced the death on social media; the last rites were performed in Yerawada later in the day.
She had been unwell for years. In November 2016 she collapsed on stage during a lavani-tamasha performance at Mumbai’s Yashwant Natya Mandir and was hospitalised. A paralytic stroke followed, leaving one side of her body paralysed; she had been bedridden since, family friend Mahesh Tilekar told PTI.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, PTI reported.
Most outlets — the Hindustan Times, NDTV, the Indian Express — put her age at 73 (born 28 July 1953); the PTI feed said 72.
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From the tamasha stage to the film studio
Kambikar was born in Malegaon Khurd, a village in Maharashtra’s Beed district, into the Kolhati community of travelling performers. She dropped out of school young and followed her father, himself a performing artist, from show to show. Her stage name came from Kambi village in Shevgaon, where she did her early schooling.
Trained in Kathak and Lavani, she started as a performer with a travelling tamasha troupe — Maharashtra’s rowdy, beloved folk theatre — long before a film camera found her. In the 1980s she became one of Marathi cinema’s leading actresses, a rare crossing: folk-stage performers almost never got lead film roles at the time.
Her breakthrough came in 1982 with Rajdutt’s Shapit, where she played Bijli. The performance won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Marathi) and a Maharashtra State Film Award. Two years later, Hech Majha Maher brought her another State Award for Best Actress, and Raosaheb earned her the State Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The roles people remember
Over a career of more than four decades and 75-plus films, she moved easily between serious and comic parts. Audiences remember her as Lakshya’s mother in the horror-comedy Zapatlela (and its 2013 sequel), as Sant Gadge Maharaj’s mother in Debu, and as Laxmikant Berde’s mother in Jabbar Patel’s Ek Hota Vidushak — a film that also let her show off the Lavani skills that made her famous.
Her other Marathi films include Raghu Maina, Yeu Ka Gharat and Bin Kamacha Navra; she worked with Dada Kondke in Yeu Ka Gharat and Mala Gheun Chala. She crossed into Hindi cinema with Hum Dono, Yeshwant (with Nana Patekar), Shola Aur Shabnam and Apnapan, and acted on stage in Putrakameshti and Paying Guest.
The honours piled up: the Hansa Wadkar Special Award, the Lavani Kalavant Award in 2007, and the Zee Chitra Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
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Tributes pour in
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the news “extremely heartbreaking” in a post on X, listing her films — Hech Mazha Maher, Raghu Maina, Ek Hota Vidushak, Zapatlela, Debu — and crediting her with popularising folk arts rooted in rural life through four decades of work.
Lavani artiste Megha Ghadge, who worked with Kambikar in Dombari, wrote an emotional tribute: “My friend, my Lavani, is gone.” She recalled the sound of Kambikar’s ghungroos holding audiences captive for years, singled out her role and dance in Ek Hota Vidushak as unforgettable, and noted that she never gave up despite years of illness.
Tilekar told PTI her contribution would not be forgotten; he had visited her twice, but she could not recognise anyone. Veteran actor Leela Gandhi said Kambikar was “like my daughter” to her.
Her last rites were performed in Yerawada on Monday evening — closing a career that began on village stages more than four decades ago and ended as one of Marathi entertainment’s most decorated names.
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FAQs
How did Madhu Kambikar die?
She died on October 12, 2026, at her Pune home after a prolonged illness. Her health had declined sharply after a paralytic stroke in 2016 that left her bedridden. She was 73.
What was Madhu Kambikar famous for?
She was a leading Marathi actress of the 1980s and a celebrated Lavani folk dancer, with 75-plus films to her name. Her breakthrough role in Shapit (1982) won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Marathi).
Which awards did she win?
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Marathi) for Shapit, Maharashtra State Film Awards for Shapit, Hech Majha Maher and Raosaheb (supporting), the Hansa Wadkar Special Award, the Lavani Kalavant Award (2007), and the Zee Chitra Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award (2018).
