# Sachin Pilgaonkar

Sachin Pilgaonkar (born 17 August 1957), often known mononymously by his screen name Sachin, is an Indian actor, director, producer, writer and singer of Marathi and Hindi films. He has directed and acted in several Marathi films of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has received several awards including four Maharashtra State Film Awards, two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards Marathi.
Starting as a child in the Marathi film industry, Ha Majha Marg Ekla (1962), he went on to work in around 65 films as a child artist, before switching to adult roles, and being part of highly successful films like Geet Gaata Chal (1975), Balika Badhu (1976), Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978) and Nadiya Ke Paar (1982) as a lead actor and he became a household name in India. He has worked in Hindi, Marathi and also in Kannada cinema and Bhojpuri cinema, and has acted, produced, and directed successful comedy shows on Indian television, including Tu Tu Main Main (2000) and Kadvee Khatti Meethi. He also directed several hit Marathi Films starting with Mai Baap (1982), Navri Mile Navryala (1984) was the biggest box office hit. Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988) and Aamchya Sarkhe Aamhich (1990) were superhit at the box office. Navra Mazha Navsacha (2004) were hits as well. In 2007 Sachin also made his debut in the Kannada film industry in the film Ekadantha which was a remake of his own movie Navra Mazha Navsacha, with Kannada star Vishnuvardhan.

## Early and personal life

Sachin was born in Bombay in a Marathi family from Pilagaon, Goa. His father Sharad Pilgaonkar was a film producer, and also managed a printing business in Mumbai.
He is married to actress Supriya Pilgaonkar (née Sabnis), whom he first directed for his debut Marathi film, Navri Mile Navryala (1984) and subsequently became successful pair in Marathi cinema. The couple has a daughter, Shriya Pilgaonkar.

## Career
### Films

Pilgaonkar started his film career as a child artist. He was to act in Madhavrao Shinde's 1961 film Soonbai, but the plans did not work out. He was then chosen for Raja Paranjape's Marathi film, Ha Maza Marg Ekla (transl. This is my own singular path) (1962) at the age of four, for which he won the National Award. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan handed him the award. As a child actor, he first appeared in the Dharmendra-Meena Kumari starrer Majhli Didi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and also appeared in prominent films such as Jewel Thief, Chanda Aur Bijli, Brahmachari and Mela. He worked closely with the then fellow child actor, Naeem Sayyed (better known as Junior Mehmood), with whom he first acted in the Shammi Kapoor-starrer Brahmachari at the age of eight. They did 15 films together as child artists.
He switched to playing lead roles for a brief time with Rajshri Productions' Geet Gaata Chal, for which he was cast opposite Sarika. The film's unexpected success made them a lead pair for other films. The pair went on to work in Zid, College Girl, Rajshri Productions and Nadiya Ke Paar.
With Trishul, he switched back to supporting roles and was part of successful movies such as Sholay, Avtaar, Sur Sangam and Satte Pe Satta, but as the demand for roles reduced he took to direction, making Marathi movies and producing TV serials. He is one of the most well-known Marathi film directors. In 1992, he directed Subhash Ghai's Prem Deewane, and in 1996 directed Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai.
In 2011 he directed and starred in Jaana Pehchana, which is a sequel to Sachin's earlier blockbuster film Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se.
He acted in the 2015 film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli based on the play of the same name, playing Khasaheb Aftab Hussain. The role required him to speak in only Urdu, with which he was comfortable thanks to his training in the language by Meena Kumari in 1966 while together working on the film Majhli Didi. He also credits Sanjeev Kumar for helping him with the practicing of difficult scenes and Hrishikesh Mukherjee for teaching him to edit films.
Sachin, along with Laxmikant Berde, Ashok Saraf and Mahesh Kothare formed a successful quartet, starring in several hit movies in Marathi cinema in the 1980s and 1990s.

### Television

Pilgaonkar turned to Indian Television in the 1990s, when he directed Hindi comedy show Tu Tu Main Main on Hindi National channel Star Plus, which starred his wife Supriya and Reema Lagoo. He also directed a show Rin 1 2 3 on the Hindi National channel DD Metro, which used to show parodies of Bollywood movies. He also directed the sitcom, Hadh Kar Di starring Dara Singh, which too initially did well, but later was pulled off. In the meantime, he also anchored Hindi music shows like Chalti Ka Naam Antakshari on Star Plus and various other events and Marathi film award ceremonies. In 2006, he, along with his wife, Supriya, won the Hindi dance Reality Show Nach Baliye, pocketing Rs. 4 million {Approx. $100,000}, beating nine other celebrity contestant pairs. In late 2007, he started a new program on Zee Marathi, known as Eka Peksha Ek, which is based on dance, finding hidden talent in all the areas of the state of Maharashtra.
He appeared as a judge of the reality comedy talent show, Chhote Miyan (2009) on Colors TV.

### Direction

Pilgaonkar has also been directing Marathi films since the 1980s. He started directing with Mai Baap (1982) which received critical acclaim but started tasting commercial success only with 1984's Navri Mile Navryala, which also starred his future wife, Supriya Pilgaonkar. Further films like Gammat Jammat (1987) and Maza Pati Karodpati (1988) cemented his place in the Marathi film industry. Further, he tasted major success in 1988's Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi, which starred himself and the two reigning superstars of Marathi cinema, Ashok Saraf and Laxmikant Berde. The movie was a runaway hit, establishing Sachin as a hitmaker. He then changed track to the experimental cinema with the next two films but returned to comedy with Aamchya Sarkhe Aamhich (1990) which proved to be yet another super hit. He directed Berde's son Abhinay Berde in the 2018 film Ashi Hi Aashiqui, produced by Supriya Pilgaonkar. In 2024, he produced and directed Navra Maza Navsacha 2, the sequel to the 2004 film Navra Maza Navsacha, which starred Swapnil Joshi, Hemal Ingle, Supriya Pilgaonkar, himself, and Ashok Saraf in leading roles.

### Other pursuits

In 2017, Sachin wrote his autobiography during the completion of 50 years of his film career titled Hach Maza Marg. For noted director Govind Nihalani's directorial debut in Marathi with the 2017 film Ti Ani Titar, Sachin wrote a ghazal titled "Badal jo ghir ke aaye" under the pseudonym of Shafaq.
In 2018, Sachin starred in the song Amchi Mumbai Changali Mumbai, which was widely panned by his fans.

## Awards
### National Film Awards

* National Film Award for Best Child Artist for Ha Maza Marg Ekla (1962)
* 19th National Film Awards (1971) – National Film Award for Best Child Artist for Ajab Tuje Sarkar

### Filmfare Awards Marathi

* 1979 – Filmfare Award Marathi Best Actor
for the film Ashtavinayak
* 2016 – Filmfare Marathi Awards Best Actor for the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli

### Maharashtracha Favourite Kon?

* 2009 – Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? for Favourite Jodi for the film Aamhi Satpute
* 2016 – Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? for favourite villain for the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali

### Maharashtra State Film Awards

* 1963 - Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Child Artist for the film Ha Maza Marg Ekala
* 1987 - Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for the film Gammat Jammat
* 1988 - Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for the film Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi
* 1989 - Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for the film Aatmavishwas
* 1990 - Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director for the film Eka Peksha Ek

## Filmography
### As actor
#### Films

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Movie | Role | Language | Notes |
| 1962 | Ha Maaza Marg Eekla | – | Marathi | Child artist |
| 1965 | Dak Ghar | Amal | Hindi | Adaptation of Rabindra Nath Tagore's play |
| 1967 | Majhli Didi | Kishan | Hindi | |
| 1967 | Jewel Thief | Shishu Singh | Hindi | |
| 1968 | Brahmachari | | Hindi | |
| 1969 | Chanda Aur Bijli | Chanda | Hindi | |
| 1970 | Bachpan | Ram | Hindi | |
| 1971 | Mela | Young Shakti | Hindi | |
| 1971 | Krishna Leela | Lord Krishna | Hindi | |
| 1971 | Ajab Tujhe Sarkar | | Marathi | National Film Award for Best Child Artist |
| 1973 | Birbal My Brother | | English | |
| 1975 | Sholay | Ahmed | Hindi | |
| 1975 | Geet Gaata Chal | Shyam | Hindi | |
| 1976 | Balika Badhu | Amal | Hindi | |
| 1977 | Paaradh | Sunil | Marathi | |
| 1978 | Trishul | Ravi | Hindi | |
| 1978 | College Girl | Sachin | Hindi | |
| 1978 | Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se | Arun Prakash Mathur | Hindi | |
| 1978 | Adventures of Aladdin | Aladdin | Hindi | |
| 1979 | Ashtavinayak | Balasaheb Inamdar | Marathi | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Marathi |
| 1979 | Gopaal Krishna | Krishna | Hindi | |
| 1979 | Aur Kaun | Raj | Hindi | |
| 1980 | Judaai | Ravikant S. 'Ravi' Verma | Hindi | |
| 1981 | Sweety | Actor | Hindi | |
| 1981 | Krodhi | Raja | Hindi | |
| 1982 | Satte Pe Satta | Shani "Sunny" Anand | Hindi | |
| 1982 | Nadiya Ke Paar | Chandan Tiwari | Hindi (Bhojpuri/Awadhi) | |
| 1983 | Avtaar | Sewak | Hindi | |
| 1984 | Navri Mile Navryala | Jairam | Marathi | |
| 1985 | Ghar Dwaar | an Orphan | Hindi | |
| 1985 | Sur Sangam | Kanneshwar (Kannu) | Hindi | |
| 1985 | Tulsi | Gopal | Hindi | |
| 1987 | Gammat Jammat | Gautam | Marathi | Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director |
| 1987 | Maa Beti | Khetan | Hindi | |
| 1988 | Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi | Sudhir alias Sudha | Marathi | Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director |
| 1988 | Maza Pati Karodpati | Narendra Kuber | Marathi | |
| 1988 | Ghar Ek Mandir | Sanjay Kumar | Hindi | |
| 1989 | Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon | Amar | Hindi | |
| 1989 | Atmavishwas | Rajendra Ratnaparkhi alias Raju | Marathi | Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director |
| 1989 | Bhutacha Bhau | Nandu (Nandkumar) | Marathi | |
| 1990 | Aamchya Sarkhe Aamhich | Kailash / Abhay Inamdar (dual role) | Marathi | |
| 1990 | Eka Peksha Ek | Bhanudas Mahimkar | Marathi | Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Director |
| 1991 | Aayatya Gharat Gharoba | Kedar Kirtikar | Marathi | Also director |
| 1996 | Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai | Mr. Sanjay Malhotra | Hindi | Also director |
| 2004 | Navra Maza Navsacha | Vakratund alias Vacky | Marathi | |
| 2008 | Amhi Satpute | Mukunda Satpute alias Kaandya | Marathi | |
| 2010 | Ideachi Kalpana | Gangaram Gangavane | Marathi | |
| 2011 | Sharyat | Dhananjay Rao | Marathi | |
| 2011 | Jaana Pehchana | Arun Prakash Mathur | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Ekulti Ek | Arun Deshpande | Marathi | |
| 2014 | Sanngto Aika | Ambatrao Gholap | Marathi | |
| 2015 | Katyar Kaljat Ghusali | Khansaheb Aftab Hussain Bareliwale | Marathi | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Marathi |
| 2017 | Qaidi Band | Dhulia | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Hichki | Prabhakar Mathur (Naina's father) | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Ranangan | Shyamrao Deshmukh | Marathi | |
| 2018 | Sohala | Girish | Marathi | |
| 2019 | Ashi Hi Aashiqui | Drunkard in a song (uncredited) | Marathi | Also director |
| 2019 | Love You Zindagi | Anirudh Date | Marathi | |
| 2021 | Waaras | Unknown | Marathi | |
| 2024 | Navra Maza Navsacha 2 † | Vakratund "Vacky" Deshpande | Marathi | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Remark |
| 2000 | Pratishodh | | SAB TV |
| 2000 | Picnic Antakshari | Himself | |
| 2005 | Khelo Gaao Jeeto | Himself | DD National |
| 2006 | Tu Tota Main Maina | Tota | DD National |
| 2014 | Supriya-Sachin Show Jodi Tujhe Majhi | Host | |
| 2018 | Bigg Boss Marathi 1 | Guest | |
| 2019 | Mayanagari-City of Dreams | Jagdish Gaurav | |
| 2020 | India's Best Dancer | Guest | |

### As director

| Year | Title | Language |
| 1982 | Mai Baap | Hindi |
| 1984 | Navri Mile Navryala | Marathi |
| 1984 | Savvasher | Marathi |
| 1987 | Gammat Jammat | Marathi |
| 1988 | Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi | Marathi |
| 1988 | Maza Pati Karodpati | Marathi |
| 1989 | Atmavishwas | Marathi |
| 1989 | Bhutacha Bhau | Marathi |
| 1990 | Eka Peksha Ek | Marathi |
| 1990 | Aamchya Sarkhe Aamhich | Marathi |
| 1991 | Aayatya Gharat Gharoba | Marathi |
| 1992 | Prem Deewane | Hindi |
| 1994 | Kunku | Marathi |
| 1995 | Aazmayish | Hindi |
| 1996 | Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai | Hindi |
| 2004 | Navra Maza Navsacha | Marathi |
| 2007 | Ekadantha | Kannada |
| 2008 | Amhi Saatpute | Marathi |
| 2010 | Ideachi Kalpana | Marathi |
| 2011 | Jaana Pehchana | Hindi |
| 2013 | Ekulti Ek | Marathi |
| 2019 | Ashi Hi Aashiqui | Marathi |
| 2024 | Navra Maza Navsacha 2 | Marathi |

### Television

* Ek Do Teen Gane Jane Mane
* Tu Tu Main Main
* Hudd Kar Di
* Tu Tota Main Maina
* Gilli Danda