Shobha Khote

Biography

Shubha Balsavar (née Khote) is an Indian film and television actress who has worked in several Hindi-language and a few Marathi-language films. She is also a former women's national champion in swimming and cycling.

Shubha Khote was born into a Marathi-Konkani family, the daughter of noted Marathi theatre personality Nandu Khote by his wife, a Konkani lady from Mangalore in Karnataka. The actor Viju Khote was her younger brother. Veteran actress Durga Khote was the wife of Shubha's father's brother. Shubha's maternal uncle, Nayampalli, was also an actor.

Shubha Khote studied at St. Teresa's High School, Charni Road, and St.Columba School (Gamdevi). As a girl, she excelled at swimming and cycling, and in an era when very few women even ventured into such sports, she was women's national champion in swimming and cycling for three successive years, 1952–55. After completing school, she graduated in English Literature from Wilson College.

Shubha is married to D. M. Balsavar, who is (like Shubha's mother) from Mangalore. He was the Vice President of Marketing at Nocil, a major Indian corporate. He appeared in a cameo in the Marathi movie Chimukla Pahuna (1968), which she produced and directed. Their daughter, Bhavana Balsavar is also a TV actress.

Shubha with her daughter Bhavana Balsavar

Shubha Khote with her younger brother Viju Khote

She made her stage debut as a child actor at age 4, and her film debut in Seema (1955) as Putli. Her good cycling made her widely known, and led to Seema's team casting her. Since then, she has starred in a large number of Hindi and Marathi movies, stage shows, and TV serials.

She mostly starred opposite Mehmood and the pair became hit in Sasural, Bharosa, Ziddi, Chhoti Behan, Sanjh Aur Savera, Love in Tokyo, Grahasthi, Humrahi, and Beti Bete. She also played negative roles in Paying Guest and Ek Duuje Ke Liye. In 1962, at the 9th Filmfare Awards, she received two nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Gharana and Sasural, though she lost to Nirupa Roy.

She has directed comedy plays such as Hera Pheri, Hum Dono, Bachelor's Wife and Let's Do It (2000). Her home production Bachelor's Wives (adapted from the Marathi play Gholat Ghol) had more than 40 performances in Mumbai and Aurangabad. Her TV show Zabaan Sambhalke (based on the Mind Your Language series) was a major hit.

She has also worked in the Marathi teleserial Eka Lagnachi Teesri Goshta on Zee Marathi.