Hidden stories: how a reluctant performance paved way for Jyotsna Bhole to become a trailblazing Marathi actor

Indian Express

05-07-2025

In July 1933, a radical piece of Marathi theatre was staged in Mumbai. Andhalyachi Shala (School for the Blind) was a vehicle for a group of intellectuals to cast a woman as a lead to oppose men playing women's roles in theatre. It was written by S V Vartak and produced by the group Natya Manwantar, whose member Keshav Vaman Bhole, better known as Keshavrao Bhole, was an eminent Marathi music director and critic. He had had only one woman in mind to play the lead, his wife and vocalist Durga Kelkar who came to be known as Jyotsna Bhole after their marriage.
'When my father asked her, she firmly said she wasn't interested… She wouldn't dream of diverting from her music,' says Vandana Khandekar, the couple's daughter. At Keshavrao's urging, Jyotsna took up the lead role – becoming a pioneer among women theatre actors. 'At the show's opening, the audience showed up with bhajjis in both hands, ready to haul these at the actors to show their disapproval. However, they saw the whole play without making a sound. They congratulated my mother and she loved the bhajjis so much, she ate everything the audience brought,' says Vandana.
'She could learn everything by ear'
An exponent of Hindustani classical music and an eminent singer-actor, Jyotsna Bhole, whose death anniversary is on August 5, was a trailblazer. Her journey to winning the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Lata Mangeshkar Award, however, started from the small village of Bandivade in Goa where she was born on May 11, 1914, as one among 14 children.
The musical heritage of her surroundings as well as her siblings' performances turned her towards the art form from an early age. 'When her sisters practised, she would sit and listen. She could learn everything by ear. It was her elder sister, Girijabai, who recognised her talent and brought her to Mumbai, where both girls trained under Vilayat Hussain Khan and later Khadim Hussain Khan of the Agra Gharana,' says Vandana.
Jyotsna quickly rose to fame through school competitions and was invited to perform at the British Broadcasting Service Radio. After Class 4, she left school to dedicate herself to music.
Hooked on Keshavrao Bhole's songs
During the 1930s, Keshavrao was an up-and-coming musician and playwright in Mumbai's cultural scene, especially talented in bhavgeet music – a light classical form that blends poetry and music. 'The songs impressed Jyotsna and drove her crazy! It was something she had never heard before, and she was keen to learn them,' says Vandana. When Keshavrao was finally convinced to teach Jyotsna, it was the start of a relationship that would last a lifetime. They married in 1932, when Jyotsna was 18. The couple had four children, Kishor, Suhas, Anil, and Vandana.
After her first play, Andhalyachi Shala, Jyotsna refused to act again, choosing to focus on her music and family. It was not until eight years later that she would return to theatre. When Keshavrao produced and directed a play, he encouraged Jyotsna to be his heroine. Stepping back into the shoes of an actor in 1941, she witnessed peak fame a year later, through her role in Kulavadhu, a play inspired by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.
'She toured the country extensively. Keshavrao told her to pursue her passion and make a name. He promised to stay at home and take care of the family,' says Vandana. By the time Jyotsna left the state in the 1960s, she was among the most sought after singer-actors.
Jyotsna takes the lead
Despite her limited education, Jyotsna was inspired by her husband's works and wrote, composed, directed and acted in her musical, Aradhana. She published a letter book, Antarichya Khuna, composed of letters she had written to her daughter as she travelled to Britain and Europe, performing in places like London, Paris, and Germany without speaking much English. In 1988, her touching autobiography, Tumchi Jyotsna Bhole, was released in Marathi.
At home, Jyotsna insisted on being the regular parent who was involved in her children's upbringing. 'Every Diwali, she would insist on making each sweet herself. Every birthday, she would throw parties for our friends,' Vandana recalls.
The Jyotsna Bhole Swarotsav, a music festival held in her memory since 2008, saw its 14th edition hosted on June 26-27 this year. 'We celebrate the work she did for the Marathi Sangeet Rangabhoomi,' says Adhish Paigude, an organiser. The festival, which features musicians and artists inspired by Jyotsna, is organised by the Srujan Foundation and Nanded city.
This year's artists include Kalapini Komkali, Jayateerth Mevundi, Shounak Abhisheki, and Yadnesh Raikar. 'To pay tribute at her festival with my violin means so much,' says Raikar, as Komkali adds, 'Without her songs, the morning never felt complete.'
Antara Kulkarni is an intern with The Indian Express.