Jayshree Gadkar (21 February 1942 – 29 August 2008) was a noted Marathi and Hindi movie actress and a Superstar of Marathi cinema from the 1950s up to the 1980s.

Personal life

Jayshree was born into a Konkani-speaking family at Kanasgiri (Sadashivgad) near Karwar in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. She married Bal Dhuri, a theatre actor best known for his portrayal of Dashratha in Ramanand Sagar's TV serial, Ramayana (where Jayashree herself played his wife, Kaushalya). She also published an autobiography, Ashi Mi Jayshri.

Career

She began her career as a child dance artist. She entered films as a tamasha dancer in movies. Her first role was that of a group dancer in V. Shantaram's Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje in 1955, which featured Sandhya as the leading lady. Later, well known Marathi film Director Dinkar D. Patil cast her in a small role with dance in his Marathi film Disat Tasa Nasat, opposite Raja Gosavi. This was followed by Sangtye Aika, a tamasha–based movie which was the first in which she played a leading role. This helped her gain fame and recognition and she started doing heroine roles. She eventually became one of the most successful and prolific heroines in the history of the Marathi film industry. Jayshree acted in about 250 films over a period of four decades. Her filmography was varied and included a rich repertoire of tamasha stories as also mythologicals in addition to socials and love stories. In later years, Jayshree turned film director. Her directorial efforts include Saasar Maher and Ashi Asavi Saasu. She also acted in Ramanand Sagar's TV Series Ramayana, as Kaushalya (mother of Rama) along with her husband Bal Dhuri, who was Dasharath (father of Rama). Her home is adorned with the photo of both in Ramayana costume. Her Autobiography Ashi Me Jayshree was published in 1986.

Filmography

Awards