Veteran Marathi actor and Lavani artiste Madhu Kambikar passed away in Pune on Monday due to a prolonged illness, her family friend said.She was 72.”She was unwell for many years. She passed away today in Pune. In 2016, she suffered a stroke, which left her paralysed on one side. Since then, she had been bedridden,” said family friend and director Mahesh Tilekar.Born in Maharashtra, Kambikar was trained in Kathak and Lavani and established herself in Marathi folk theatre.She acted in several films, including “Shapit”, “Ek Hota Vidushak”, “Zapatlela” and “Yeshwant”, in which she starred alongside (late) Nana Patekar, among others.Her last rites were performed in Pune. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law.Tilekar said Kambikar’s contribution to Marathi cinema and folk theatre, especially Lavani, would not be forgotten.”I recall visiting her twice, but she could not recognise me or anyone else. Her son and daughter-in-law took really good care of her,” Tilekar, who worked with Kambikar on his show, “Marathi Taraka”, and a few TV commercials, said.Veteran Marathi actor Leela Gandhi said she was deeply saddened by Kambikar’s demise.”I got to know about her demise this morning. She was unwell for the past few years. I met her once about three to four years ago, but I couldn’t meet her later. She is like my daughter. I feel really bad that she is not with us now. She was a very good artiste,” Gandhi said.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Kambikar’s death was a major loss to the state’s art and cultural world. He described her as an artist who proudly carried Maharashtra’s folk art traditions to the silver screen.In a condolence message, Fadnavis said Kambikar carved a niche for herself through her performances on the silver screen while preserving Maharashtra’s folk art traditions.Her artistic journey spanned folk arts, theatre and cinema. She earned recognition as a dancer through her study of Kathak while preserving the traditional style of Lavani, a folk dance form of Maharashtra, he said.”Kambikar brought grace and distinction to Lavani through her dance style and performances, and further popularised the folk form on the silver screen,” the Chief Minister said.Recalling various roles played by Kambikar in Marathi cinema, Fadnavis said her career was distinctive and had served as a source of guidance and inspiration for two generations in the field.