Sachin Pilgaonkar is an Indian actor, director, producer and singer who has worked extensively in Hindi and Marathi cinema as well as television. Beginning his career as a child artiste in the late 1960s, he made the transition to leading-man roles in the late 1970s and 1980s, and later moved into direction and television production. He is popularly known by the mononym Sachin.
| Full name | Sachin Shreeram Pilgaonkar |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 August 1957, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer, singer |
| Languages of work | Hindi, Marathi |
| Spouse | Supriya Pilgaonkar (m. 1985) |
| Daughter | Shriya Pilgaonkar (actress) |
| Debut (child artiste) | Majhli Didi (1967) |
| Notable as lead | Geet Gaata Chal (1975), Nadiya Ke Paar (1982), Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978) |
Sachin was born on 17 August 1957 in Mumbai into a Marathi-speaking family. He entered films as a child performer when he was about ten years old, beginning a career that has spanned over five decades.
Sachin made his screen debut with the Hindi film Majhli Didi (1967), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, for which he received the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. Through the late 1960s and early 1970s he appeared in a number of films as a child artiste, working with several leading directors of the period.
His transition to lead roles came with Rajshri Productions' Geet Gaata Chal (1975), directed by Hiren Nag. He went on to feature in successful Rajshri films including Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978) opposite Ranjeeta Kaur, and Nadiya Ke Paar (1982), directed by Govind Moonis, in which he played Chandan opposite Sadhana Singh. Nadiya Ke Paar, set in rural Uttar Pradesh and largely in the Bhojpuri-influenced Awadhi dialect, became one of the most enduring rural-themed Hindi films of its era and was later loosely remade as Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994).
He also acted in Marathi cinema, appearing in films such as Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988) and Navri Mile Navryala (1984), the latter of which he also directed.
Sachin moved into direction in the early 1980s, predominantly in Marathi cinema. His directorial work includes Marathi films such as Navri Mile Navryala (1984), Gammat Jammat (1987), Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988) and Aamhi Doghi. In Hindi he directed films including Mai Tera Dushman (1989), Aamne Saamne (1982) and Eena Meena Deeka (1994).
From the 1990s, Sachin became a prominent figure on Indian television as a producer and director. His production house has been associated with serials such as Tu Tu Main Main, which featured Supriya Pilgaonkar and Reema Lagoo, and Kadvee Khattee Meethi. He has also appeared as a judge and mentor on Marathi and Hindi reality and dance shows on channels including Zee Marathi, Sony Entertainment Television and Colors.
Sachin married actress Supriya Pilgaonkar in 1985; the couple have frequently worked together on screen and on stage. Their daughter Shriya Pilgaonkar is an actress who has worked in Hindi films and web series.
Sachin's career is notable for its longevity and breadth: a National Award-winning child actor who became a romantic lead in mainstream Hindi cinema, a successful director of Marathi comedies in the 1980s that helped revive popular Marathi film, and later a television producer. The pairing of Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar is one of the recognised on-screen couples in Marathi entertainment.