Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar

• Did Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar smoke?: Yes ^[2]Pune Mirror

• Did Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar drink alcohol?: Yes ^[3]Pune Mirror

• Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar was a popular Indian film and theatre actor.

• He did his schooling and higher studies from Chiplun, Maharashtra.

• As per the sources, the relationship between Dr. Kashinath and his father was not good. ^[4]First Post

• After his divorce from his first wife, he got married to Kanchan in 1983, who is the daughter of the veteran Indian actress, Sulochana. Kanchan and Dr. Kashinath had a huge age gap.
  

  

  

• While working as a dentist, he got an opportunity, to work as a part time prompter in stage shows.

  

• Later, he performed as an actor in many Marathi theatre plays, like ‘Tujhe Aahe Tujpashi’ (1952), ‘Sundar Mi Honar’ (1952), ‘Madhumanjiri’ (1952), ‘Laxmi Aali Ghara’ (1952), ‘Raygadala Jevha Jaag Yete’ (1962), ‘Ashroonchi Zhali Phule’ (1963), ‘Ithe Oshalala Mrutyu’ (1968), ‘Garambicha Bapu’ (1972), ‘Guntata Hruday He’ (1972), and ‘Anandi Gopal’ (1976).

• His famous Marathi theatre plays are ‘Raygadala Jevha Jaag Yete’ (1962) in which he played the role of Sambhaji and Ashroonchi Zhali Phule’ in 1963 in which he played the character of “Lalya.”

  

• He acted in many Marathi films, like ‘Dharm Patni’ (1953), ‘Maratha Tituka Melvava’ (1963), ‘Paathlaag’ (1964), ‘Madhuchandra’ (1967), ‘Ghar Gangecha Kathi’ (1975), and ‘Ha Khel Savalyancha’ (1976). His gained immense popularity with the Marathi film  ‘Madhuchandra’ (1967). He appeared in two Hindi films ‘Daadi Maa’ (1966) and ‘Abhilasha’ (1968).
  

  

  

  

• He was immense popular in his era, his shows used to be housefull, and the tickets of his stage shows were mostly black marketed. After one of his stage shows, a few ladies gathered outside Mumbai’s Shivaji Mandir and wanted to take him to their home.

• He was the first superstar of Marathi cinema and used to get Rs 500 per show; he was the highest paid theatre artist at that time. ^[5]Mid Day

•  As per some sources, his rise in career coincided with the formation of the political party, ‘Shiv Sena’ (1966).

  

• Reportedly, the Indian stage actor, ‘Prabhakar Panshikar’ was one of his close friends, and he had conflicts with the Indian film and stage actor, Dr Sreeram Lagoo. ^[6]Mid Day
  

  

  

• In his rememberance, a modern theatre with an auditorium, ‘Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha’ is built by the Thane Municipal Corporation in Hiranandani Meadows, near Ghodbunder Road, Vasant Vihar, Thane West, Maharashtra 400607.

  

• In 2018, a Marathi film based on his life titled ‘Ani… Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar’ was released. In 2020, his biopic was released on Netflix.

  

• His wife, Kanchan, wrote a biography titled “Nath Ha Maza,” meaning “such was my husband,” after the demise of Dr. Kashinath.