79-year-old Marathi actor Ashalata Wabgaonkar dies of Covid while shooting for TV serial

Wabgaonkar required hospitalisation after she started showing symptoms. She was subsequently admitted to Pratibha hospital in Satara where she was undergoing treatment for the last seven days.

Deeply pained by the passing away of acclaimed Goan Artist Ashalata Wabgaonkar. Her splendid performances in theatre & films will keep inspiring the generations to come. My condolences to her family & fans. May her soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/HVGOnDUA8x

— Digambar Kamat (@digambarkamat) September 22, 2020

Doctors said Wabgaonkar was put on ventilator support, but her health worsened due to old age. She succumbed at 4.45 am on Tuesday.

A district official said all the other crew members were kept under home isolation and have recovered.

Producer of the show and actor Alka Kubal, who monitored Wabgaonkar’s hospitalisation and treatment, also remains in Satara for the shoot.

नाटक और फ़िल्मों में अपने अभिनय से बहुत मशहूर अभिनेत्री आशालता वाबगावकर जी के स्वर्गवास की ख़बर सुनके मुझे बहुत दुख हुआ. हमने उनको दीनानाथ प्रतिष्ठान के पुरस्कार से सम्मानित भी किया था. हमारे और उनके बहुत अच्छे सम्बंध थे.ईश्वर उनकी आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करे.

— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) September 22, 2020

ज्येष्ठ अभिनेत्री श्रीमती #आशालता वाबगावकर यांच्या दुःखद निधनामुळे मराठी-हिंदी रंगभूमी व चित्रपटसृष्टीचे मोठे नुकसान झाले आहे.
आपल्या सहज,संवेदनशील व अष्टपैलू अभिनयाने त्यांनी रसिकांच्या मनावर वेगळीच छाप उमटवली.त्यांना संगीताची देखील उत्तम जाण होती. माझी भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली!

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) September 22, 2020

Satara Collector Shekhar Singh said the production team approached them for permission to begin shooting a month ago. The team had hired a bungalow for the shoot between Wai and Phaltan towns. “They were shooting at one or two locations. Based on the Union government’s guidelines for resuming shooting, we gave them necessary permissions and asked them to follow social distancing norms,” Singh said.

Wabgaonkar made her theatrical debut in the role of Revati in the play Sanshaykallol. She has won several awards for theatre shows. She worked in films like Woh Saat Din, Ahista Ahista, Shaukeen, Ankush and Namak Halaal among others in her four-decade career.