Veteran Marathi actor Madhu Kambikar passed away at her Pune residence after battling with prolonged illness. The actor was 73 years old at the time of her demise.

Madhu, who was born on July 28, 1953 in Malegaon, became a performing artist at a very young age.  After working in several popular plays, Madhu began her film career with the 1977 film Dagaa. In the 80s, she established herself as one of the most popular names in Marathi cinema. Madhu was most popular for her work in films like Shapit (1982) and Ek Hota Vidushak (1992). Some of her other popular works included Zapatlela, Debu, Binkamacha Navra, and Majha Chakula.

She was most known for bringing a certain warmth to the many motherly roles she essayed on screen. Overall, she worked in more than 70 films in her career.  Madhu’s filmography also included a few Hindi films like Shola aur Shabnam (1992), Hum Dono (1995) and Yeshwant (1997). 

Besides being an acclaimed actor known for her realistic approaching to acting, Madhu was also a celebrated Lavni performer. However, during a Lavani performance in November 2016 in Mumbai, which was also marking her return to stage after 12 years, Madhu suffered a stroke shortly after her on-stage performance, which affected her right hand.  Despite her successful recovery from the stroke, Madhu could not return to acting or stage like before. Her last major film appearance came in the 2015 film Aabhraan.

Madhu Kambikar was also the recipient of 6 Maharashtra State Film Awards in her 40-year film career, besides many other honours like Maharshi Shankarrao Mohite-Patil Lavani Kalavant Puraskar in 2007.