Reena Mohan’s Kamlabai is a documentary portrait of Kamlabai Gokhale, a pioneering Marathi stage and early Indian screen actress. The film was completed in 1991 and premiered in 1992; the distinction explains why catalogues attach different years to it. Through Gokhale’s recollections, photographs, dramatic reenactments and period music, it connects one performer’s life to the histories of Indian theatre and cinema.
What is Kamlabai about?
Rather than presenting a conventional chronological biography, Mohan’s film lets Gokhale’s memories guide its account of her stage and screen work. Interviews are interwoven with photographs, reenactments and period music, giving the subject’s voice and performance a central role in how the past is reconstructed. The official National Film Awards catalogue describes the film as a story of a woman’s progress through social constraints as well as a route into Indian film and stage history.
The result is a portrait in which personal recollection and cultural history meet. Gokhale’s memories are not simply background to a history of early cinema; they shape the film’s form and its view of the world she inhabited.
Who was Kamlabai Gokhale?
Gokhale is commonly described as the first lady of Indian cinema and as one of the first Marathi stage actresses. That phrase is a familiar historical characterization, not a settled claim here that resolves every question of priority among early Indian screen performers. WorldCat’s catalogue summary gives her birth year as 1900 and says she discussed her stage career and early silent films, where she frequently played male roles.
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A 2019 Chennai festival booklet notes that Gokhale and her mother, Durgabai Kamat, acted together in Dadasaheb Phalke’s Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), and that Gokhale also played male roles on stage. These details help explain why her career offers a distinctive vantage point on performance and changing opportunities for women in theatre and film.
When was the documentary made, and why do sources list different years?
Scroll’s 2019 retrospective reports that filming began in 1988, the documentary was completed in 1991 and it premiered in 1992. A listing that calls it a 1991 film may refer to completion; a 1992 label can reflect its premiere or award-year context. The dates describe different stages rather than necessarily contradicting one another. The film is often referred to as Mohan’s 1991 documentary, but its premiere followed in 1992.
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Runtime, language, format and credits
The Directorate of Film Festivals’ 39th National Film Awards catalogue lists Kamlabai as a 46-minute colour film in Marathi and Hindi. DAFilms lists 47 minutes. Later screening pages give longer durations: ICA lists 50 minutes and Open City 56 minutes. Those pages describe a 16mm digital transfer, but do not explain why their listed runtimes differ, so the duration should be checked against the particular catalogue or screening copy.
| Credit | Person |
|---|---|
| Producer and director | Reena Mohan |
| Cinematographer | Ranjan Palit |
| Audiographer | Suresh Rajamani |
| Editor | Smriti Nevatia |
These credits are from the National Film Awards catalogue, which also gives the original catalogue runtime and language details.
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Where can you watch Kamlabai with English subtitles?
Online streaming
DAFilms lists a paid online stream with Hindi and Marathi audio and English subtitles. Price and regional access can change; check the listing for current availability before relying on it.
Festival and cinematheque screenings
ICA and Open City have documented past screenings of a 16mm digital transfer, with Marathi and Hindi dialogue and English subtitles. Those event pages establish earlier presentations, not a current screening schedule. Check the venue’s own listings for future dates.
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Archival VHS
WorldCat records a Hindi VHS edition published by the Museum of Modern Art, Circulating Film Library, with a 1991 copyright. That record confirms a catalogued edition existed; it does not establish current retail stock or availability for borrowing at a particular library.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did Reena Mohan say about the film’s form?
In Scroll’s 2019 retrospective, Mohan said of how the film took shape: “I didn’t set out thinking I would break the form – it just happened.” She also described making it as “a great learning experience” and called it “a celebration of old age.” The remarks illuminate an approach that allows Gokhale’s memories and personality to guide the portrait rather than forcing them into a fixed biographical template.
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