Exclusive! Sachin Pilgaonkar fondly remembers Ashalata Wabgaonkar: She had a very contagious smile

In a shocking turn of events,

Marathi cinema

's

veteran actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar

passed away today, at the age of 79 after reportedly being contracted with COVID-19.

While the message of condolences to her family have been pouring in on social media, actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar opened up exclusively to ETimes about the untimely demise of the actress.

Talking about the same, Sachin Pilgaonkar said "It was an absolute pleasure to work with

Ashalata Ji

. She had a very contagious smile and very friendly nature. She used to bring sweets on the film's set and she personally used to distribute to the entire unit"

"It's a very big loss to the entire Marathi industry. May God rest her soul in peace and give strength to her family" Pilgaonkar added.

Ashalata Wabgaonkar also played a key role in Sachin Pilgaonkar's comedy-drama 'Navri Mile Navryala' which also starred Ashok Saraf, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Nivedita Joshi-Saraf, and others.