List of Marathi people in the performing arts

Cinema and theatre Film directors

Abhinay Deo – film director Amol Palekar – Bollywood director & actor, received award for best actor of 1979 for film "Gol Maal" Amol Gupte – Bollywood director & actor, received award for best screen play for film "Taare Zameen Par" Anand Patwardhan – documentary filmmaker, known for his activism through social action documentaries on topics such as corruption, slum dwellers, etc. Ashutosh Gowarikar – director of Lagaan (nominated for Oscars, has bagged 5 filmfare, 7 international awards) Baburao Mistry – Wrote his own screenplays; first Indian filmmaker to adopt the method of "Stenographic", the method Satyajit Ray adopted for Pather Panchali Bhagwan Dada – film director, producer and actor Bhalji Pendharkar – director, was associated with Prabhat Film Company, also received Dadasahab Phalke Award Dadasaheb Phalke – directed the first Indian feature film, the "father of Indian cinema"; directed 95 movies and 26 short films in a span of 19 years Dadasaheb Torne- made first Indian film named Shree Pundlik in the year 1912 Deepak Kadam – Director of various Video Albums, Ad films, TV serials & Marathi Feature Films. His upcoming movie WAAKYA has been chosen from 280 films from 35 country for navi Mumbai international film festival-2014 Dinkar D patil – had an illustrious career as a filmmaker for almost five decades; introduced Marathi Lavani folk dance in his films Gauri Shinde – Bollywood director; made her directional debut through the highly acclaimed English Vinglish Jabbar Patel – director, maker of classics films in Marathi, received Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration Kavita Lad - Marathi television and theatre actress Kunal Deshmukh – Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar – Bollywood director, Script Writer, producer, also 3 times recipient of national filmfare award for best director Mahesh Kothare – Bollywood director Mahesh Manjrekar – Bollywood director, actor, screenwriter, producer, has won 2 star awards & 1 national award Master Vinayak – Bollywood director

N. Chandra (Chandrakant Narvekar) – Bollywood director Nishikant Kamat – director of movies like Dombivli Fast, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Drishyam Paresh Mokashi – his film Harishchandrachi Factory was the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film official entry to 82nd Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film Acharya Atre – his Marathi film, Shyamchi Aai (श्यामची आई) won the 1954 National Film Award for Best Feature Film, received the First National Film AwardAwards IMDb Prasad Oak – Marathi actor, film director, film producer, poet, singer, writer, singer Raja Nawathe-Bollywood director, Regarded as one of the finest female actors in the history of Hindi cinema, Raja Paranjpe – Had a career spanning over 40 years, also was associated with about 80 Marathi film and Hindi film Sachin Pilgaonkar – Actor and director, started acting in films at the age of 4, directed several films & TV Soaps Sachin Kundalkar – Bollywood director, is a Marathi film director and screenplay writer, received the Best Screenplay for his film Gandha in 2009 Sai Paranjpe – Director, scriptwriter & theatre personality, received Padma Bhushan in 2006 Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni – Famous director of acclaimed Marathi films like Deool, Vihir and Valu V Shantaram – Bollywood director, He directed his first film, "Netaji Palkar" in 1927. In 1929, he founded the Prabhat Film Company Vishnupant Damle – Was a set designer, film director of Marathi Cinema, was also one of the co-founders for Prabhat Film Company Vishram Sawant – Bollywood director

Film actresses Aditi Sarangdhar – Marathi actor known as Angry Young Woman Amruta Khanvilkar – Marathi actress and dancer who also appeared in Bollywood films Antara Mali – Bollywood actress Ashwini Bhave – Bollywood actress Bhagyashree Patwardhan – Bollywood actress, known for Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989) Bhargavi Chirmule – Marathi actress; worked in movies like Kass and One room kitchen Durga Khote – actress; marks the pioneering phase for women in Indian cinema; India Today named her among "100 people who shaped India" Durgabai Kamat (1899–1997), first actress of Indian cinema, in Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), second movie of Phalke Gauri Pradhan Tejwani – television actress Jayshree Gadkar – acted in several Marathi films, also acted in Ramanand Sagar's TV Series Ramayana as Kaushalya, mother of Rama Kajal Kiran - Bollywood actress of 70s Kavita Lad - Actress Kimi Katkar – Bollywood Actress Kishori Shahane – Film and television actress Lalita Pawar-Noted actress in Indian cinema Leela Chitnis – First Indian Film Star to endorse popular soap brand "LUX", concession then only granted to top Hollywood heroines Madhuri Dixit – Leading actress in Indian cinema in the 90s, Forbes named her among "Top 5 most powerful Indian Movie Stars" Mamta Kulkarni – Bollywood Actress Manjari Phadnis – Actress Mayuri Kango – Bollywood actress Kajol - Bollywood actress Mrinal Kulkarni – Model & Actress Mugdha Godse – Model & Actress Namrata Shirodkar – Bollywood Actress Nanda – actress Nivedita Joshi – Actress Nutan – Bollywood Actress (Tanuja's elder sister and shobhana samarth's daughter), role model for many Bollywood Heroines, received Padma Shri in 1974 Padmini Kolhapure – Bollywood actress Pallavi Joshi – Bollywood actress Prarthana Behere – Television and film actress Priya Bapat- Leading Marathi Actress Priya Tendulkar – Bollywood Actress, Social Activist, her father was eminent popular writer Vijay Tendulkar Radhika Apte – actress Ranjana Deshmukh – popular Marathi actress Reema Lagoo – acted in various Marathi dramas, Marathi movies, and Bollywood Renuka Shahane – Bollywood actress Sulochana – actress, received the "Dadasaheb Phalke Award" in 1973 Sagarika Ghatge – actress Sai Tamhankar – Marathi actress Sandhya – appeared in popular films like Navrang, Do Aankhen Barah Haath and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje Sarika – actress, worked in more than 50 Hindi films, married to Kamal Hasan (Tamil superstar) Shakuntala Paranjpye – actress Shashikala Jawalkar – Bollywood actress who performed character roles in the 60s and 70s Sheetal Agashe – Former film and television actress Shilpa Shirodkar – Bollywood actress Shilpa Tulaskar – Television actress Shobhana Samarth – actress and mother of Nutan and Tanuja Shraddha Kapoor – Bollywood actress Smita Patil – Bollywood actress nominated for several Filmfare and national awards, received Padma Shri in 1985 Sonali Bendre – Bollywood actress; acted in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films; received star screen best actress award in 2004 Sonali Kulkarni – Bollywood actress Sonalee Kulkarni – Marathi actress Supriya Pilgaonkar – actress Tanuja – Bollywood actress Tejashri Pradhan – Marathi and Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar – Bollywood actress, started acting from the age of 9 and has acted in several Hindi, Telugu films Vandana Gupte – stage and television actress Varsha Usgaonkar – Bollywood actress Vidya Malvade - Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman – Bollywood actress

Beauty queens and supermodels Aditi Govitrikar – model Anusha Dandekar- MTV VJ and model Madhu Sapre – former supermodel Mugdha Godse – Bollywood actress Pooja Chitgopekar- Miss India Earth 2007 and later Miss Earth Air 2007 Rakhi Sawant – model and actress Ujjwala Raut – international ramp model

Film actors Ajinkya Dev – Bollywood actor Ashok Saraf – leading Marathi actor Atul Kulkarni – Bollywood actor; theatre artist; acted in several Marathi, Hindi, and Kannada films; nominated for Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actor for Marathi film Natarang Bhanu Athaiya – costume designer, recipient of Oscar for her work on the movie Gandhi Bharat Jadhav – leading Marathi theatre performer Dada Kondke – revolutionised Marathi comedy David Abraham Cheulkar – Jewish Bollywood character actor of the 60s Dilip Prabhavalkar – leading stage artist. Last seen as Gandhi in Lage Raho Munnabhai Kanan Kaushal Kashinath Ghanekar - veteran stage actor Kuldeep Pawar – actor Laxmikant Berde – leading Marathi actor of 80s and 90s Milind Soman – model and actor Mohan Agashe – leading art film and Bollywood actor Mohan Gokhale (1953–1999) – Mr. Yogi

Nana Patekar – Bollywood and leading stage actor Omi Vaidya – Bollywood actor Rajnikant – Tamil/South Indian cinema superstar and second highest paid Asian actor as of 2017 Ramesh Bhatkar – actor Rakesh Bapat – Bollywood actor, also holds the title of Grasim Mr. India Ritesh Deshmukh – Bollywood actor Sachin Pilgaonkar - film and television actor, director, singer and producer. Winner of four Filmfare Awards Sachin Khedekar – Bollywood actor movies Subhas Chandra Bose, Astitva Sadashiv Amrapurkar – Bollywood and Marathi film actor Sanjay Narvekar- Marathi and Bollywood actor Sayaji Shinde – Marathi, Bollywood, Tollywood actor & film producer Shivaji Satam – actor Shreyas Talpade – Bollywood actor Shriram Lagoo - Marathi and Bollywood actor Sudhir Joshi – late Marathi actor, acted in several Marathi films Swanand Kirkire – Bollywood lyricist Vijayendra Ghatge – Bollywood actor Viju Khote – Bollywood actor Vikram Gokhale – actor

Indian classical musicians Ajay Pohankar – classical vocalist Ajay–Atul – music composer brothers (Natrang) Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar – classical singer Arun Paudwal – music director of Marathi cinema Ashwini Bhide – classical Vocalist Bal Gandharva (1888–1967) singer and stage actor Bhimsen Joshi (1922–2011) - Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition, recipient of the Bharat Ratna

C. R. Vyas (1924–2002)- Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition, recipient of the Padma Bhushan C. Ramchandra (or Ramchandra Chitalkar) (1918–1977) – Hindi film music director Datta Naik – Hindi film music director Hirabai Barodekar (1905–1989) – Indian Hindustāni classical music singer, pioneer of concerts by women artists in India, from the Kirana Gharana Hridaynath Mangeshkar – music director Jyotsna Bhole – singer, actor Kesarbai Kerkar – singer, born at Keri in Goa Kishori Amonkar (born 1931) – classical singer Laxmikant Kudalkar (1937–1998) – of the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal Mogubai Kurdikar – singer from Jaipur Gharana born at Kurdi Goa. Prabha Atre (born 1932) - Indian classical vocalist; awarded Padmabhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi award Ram Kadam (1916–1997) – Marathi music composer (Pinjra 1972, Sangte Aika 1959) Sameep Kulkarni - Sitarist Sanjeev Abhyankar – classical singer Satish Vyas – Santoor player, recipient of the Padma Shri Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar (1899–1974) – Indian classical musicologist, Vocalist, composer, Padmabhushan 1957 Shrinivas Khale - music director Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar Sudhir Phadke (1919–2002) – Marathi music composer, composed music for Geet Ramayan Sureshbabu Mane – vocalist of Kirana gharana Uday Bhawalkar – Dhrupad vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar – Hindustani Classical Vocalist V. G. Jog – violinist Vasant Desai – music director of Hindi/Marathi films Vasantrao Deshpande – classical singer Veena Sahasrabuddhe – classical vocalist Vidyadhar Oke - harmonium player, musicologist, musical instrument inventor Vishnu Digambar Paluskar – singer of gwalior gharana, reformer of Indian Classical Music Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (10 August 1860 – 19 September 1936) – Indian classical musicologist and reformer

Singers Aarya Ambekar – singer Abhijeet Sawant – singer Anupama Deshpande – playback singer Anuradha Paudwal - singer Arun Date – singer Asha Bhosle – playback singer Bela Shende – playback singer Devaki Pandit – singer Hema Sardesai- Bollywood playback singer Hridaynath Mangeshkar – playback singer, was awarded Padmashri by Government of India in 2009 Kaushal Inamdar – music composer, director