Shalini Mardolkar

When the name of Shalini is pronounced we are led to Nirmonn (Destiny, 1966) the Konkani film with which she won the hearts of thousands in the rendering of the all-time favourite lullaby Dhol mhojea bai (Rock my baby) which is on everyone’s lips even today. That song has cast a spell, the music of which is composed by none other than the late Frank Fernand who has also produced the film, and the picturisation of which is done in a beautiful manner.

Shalini was known for her acting as Our Lady in Konkani dramas. She migrated to Pune from Goa to take part in dramas where she joined Prabhat Sangit Mandal, a drama company. Nanasaheb Phatak was her teacher. From the age of 14, she acted in Marathi language dramas. She took the stage along with famed actors such as Chitaranjan Kolhatkar, Shanta Jog, and Kesarbai Bandodkar. Later, she ventured into Gujarati drama.

Trained in music by one of the members of the famous Mangeshkar family, she ventured into Konkani drama in Anthony Franklin’s Bhav Bhoinn (Brother sister), in which she acted alongside popular Konkani dramatist C Alvares. Her first pay for acting was Rs.100, which, at that time, was the highest payment for acting. Besides acting, Shalini Mardolkar has also sung with high profile singers such as M Boyer, C Alvares, and Anthony Mendes, and has shown her capability as a good singer. Among the dramas, her acting has been par excellence in J.P. Souzalin’s Saibinn Maicheo Sat Dukhi (Our Lady’s Seven Dolours) and Hem Asa Tem (This is that) where she enacted the role of Mother Mary. She bagged the award-winning role in the Konkan film Nirmonn courtesy J.P. Souzalin. Her acting in the film was superb and she received a Certificate of Merit for the same at the hands of the then Prime Minister, the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi—a first of its kind for a Konkani film. The film was well appreciated leading to it being made into a Hindi film entitled Taqdeer (1967) wherein Shalini enacted the main part along with Bharat Bhushan. The said film was dubbed into several regional languages as well, which enhanced her popularity.

Shalini married A. Salam, the director of Nirmonn. Together, they produced a Konkani film entitled Mhoji Ghorkan'n (My wife, 1969) wherein she enacts the main role with C Alvares.

Honoured by the Goa Kala Akademi, Shalini Mardolkar has written and presented Konkani dramas such as Korta to Bhorta (One who acts has to pay), and Sonvsaracho Gaddo (The bullock cart of the world).