Author: Shanta Gokhale
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 192
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195692438
Description
Durga Khoite is the account of the life and work of an actress who entered the world of Indian films when women from respectable families were still forbidden to do so. The era of silent movies was coming to an end, and the new talkies gave Durga Khote the opportunity to showcase her talent. Catapulted into the film industry by early marriage and premature widowhood, her autobiography reveals Khote’s grit in the face of tragedy, her determination to be independent, and her constant desire to learn.
While her professional life was marked by success, her personal life was overshadowed by disappointments and tragedies. Durgabai weaves together the bright and dark strands of her life with the skill of a born storyteller and in a style that is lively, crisp, direct, and often humorous. She goes beyond the narrowly personnel to give first-hand glimpses of the social, political, and cultural life of the times.
Dugra Khote emerges from these pages not as a women exploited by the world of men but as open who went out into the world and explored it with zest. Shatnta Ghokle’s translation from the Marathi (published in 1982) retains the flavours and nuances of the original work. Gayatri Chatterjee’s Introduction discusses the genre of personal writing, particularly in Marathi literature, and conceptualizes I, Durga Khote within it.
This autobiography will interest readers of Indian literature in translation, autobiographies, and Indian cinema, as well as students of women’s studies. It will especially appeal to Mumbaikars as much of Durga Khote’s story is about the city and its people.
Review:
‘The book delights in its simplicity.’
—The Times of India
‘If Durgabai, who was well-versed in English, had chosen to write her autobiography in it, it would have probably turned out like this translation. That’s how remarkably well Gokhale has captured the spirit of the original Marathi.’
—The Financial Express
‘Durga’s autobiography is an account of rich cultural traditions, personal triumphs and heartaches in a flowing, calm but sensitive manner. … Shanta Gokhale’s translation is outstanding.’
—Outlook
‘Durga’s autobiography is an account of rich cultural traditions, personal triumphs and heartaches in a flowing, calm but sensitive manner. … Shanta Gokhale’s translation is outstanding.’
—Outlook
Contents
List of Illustrations
Remembering My Mother
Bakul Khote
Translator’s Note
Shanta Gokhale
Durga Khote: The Contour of a Life and Work
Gayatri Chatterjee
1. The Laud Family Home
2. My Marriage
3. My Mother’s Home
4. Memories of the Marathi Stage: 1910-26
5. The Dawn of Prabhat
6. Departure for Kolhapur
7. After the Dawn
8. Maya Machindra and After
9. Dongersey Road: A New Life
10. Kolhapur: Shalini studio
11. Fate Strikes Again
12. The Boys’ Future
13. From the Frying Pan into the Fire
14. Europe: The First encounter
15. Bakul and Harin
16. The theatre Again
17. The Boys Marry
18. Fact Films
19. Durga Khote Productions
20. 1964
21. Tours abroad
22. The UNESCO’S World Women’s Conference
23. The Body’s Debt
24. Life: A Void
25. A Different View
26. Some Moments of Joy
27. A Film on Fifty Years of Filming
28. My Friends in the Film World
29. Looking Back Now
Glossary
Appendix
ILLUSTRATIONS