Indian actress Sai Tamhankar primarily appears in Marathi and Hindi films. She made her first screen appearance in 2003 with a minor role in Tuzyavina, and gained early recognition through her role in the Marathi daily soap Hya Gojirvanya Gharat, followed by appearances in shows like Kasturi. Her film debut came in 2008 with supporting roles in Black & White and Ghajini. She also entered Marathi cinema with Sanai Choughade, opposite Shreyas Talpade. Over the next few years, she appeared in several Marathi films, such as Haay Kaay...Naay Kaay, Rita (both 2009) and Ajab Lagnachi Gajab Gosht (2010). Although Don Ghadicha Daav and Raada Rox received poor responses in 2011, but Zhakaas was a superhit, earning her a nomination for Favourite Supporting Actress at the MFK Awards.
Tamhankar took a bold step in 2012 with No Entry Pudhe Dhokha Aahey, where she wore a two-piece bikini, a rare move in Marathi cinema that sparked both praise and criticism. 2013 was a breakthrough year for her, with a prolific number of releases. She starred in Balak Palak, Pune 52, Anumati, and Time Please, garnering critical acclaim for her sophisticated and bold performances. Her role in Duniyadari, a romantic drama set in the 1970s opposite Swapnil Joshi, became a massive success, earning her numerous accolades, including the Maharashtra State Film Award, Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar, and MFK Award. She also starred in Sau Shashi Deodhar and Guru Pournima, where her portrayal of a woman with split personality disorder and a double role, respectively, earned widespread appreciation. Her role in Classmates as a tomboy earned her the MFK Award for Favourite Supporting Actress and nominations at Filmfare and Zee Chitra Awards. Later that year, she appeared in Tu Hi Re and made a mark in the Hindi adult comedy Hunterrr, where her bold role as a housewife garnered mixed reviews. Her 2016 performances included a traditional girl in YZ and the youngest daughter in the conservative family drama Family Katta, for which she won the Filmfare Marathi and Sanskruti Kaladarpan awards. She continued her success with the comedy Jaundya Na Balasaheb and the slice-of-life film Vazandar.
Although some films like Love Sonia and Ashleel Udyog Mitra Mandal didn't perform well at the box office, Tamhankar delivered strong performances in Girlfriend, Kulkarni Chaukatla Deshpande and won the Filmfare Award Marathi for Best Actress for her role in Dhurala. She later starred in Pet Puraan, Medium Spicy and Samantar 2 all of which received critical acclaim. Her role as Shama in Mimi gained her widespread recognition and earned her multiple awards, including Filmfare and IIFA awards. Her performance in Pondicherry, a film shot entirely on a smartphone, was hailed as one of her finest, earning her several accolades.
From 2018, Tamhankar has been judging the skit comedy reality show Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra, alongside Prasad Oak.
Films
Year Title Role Language Notes 2008 Black & White Nimmo Kirtan Singh Hindi Sanai Choughade Sayee Marathi Picnic Esha Ghajini Amrita Kashyap Hindi 2009 Haay Kay...Naay Kay Priya Marathi Rita Sangeeta Sumbaran Mukta Be Dune Saade Char Rashmi 2010 City of GoldLalbaug Parel Shalu MarathiHindi Bilingual film Mission Possible Saie Marathi Ajab Lagnachi Gajab Gosht Priya Navra Avali Baiko Lovely Baiko 2011 Don Ghadicha Daav Vaidehi Sarpotdar Raada Rox Avnee Zhakaas Neha Shwet Sana Hindi Short film 2012 Gajrachi Pungi Bhairavi Marathi Dhagedore Manju Baburao La Pakda Chameli Aaghor Adv. Neeti Hindi No Entry Pudhe Dhoka Aahey Bobby Marathi 2013 Balak Palak Neha Pune 52 Neha Ashach Eka Betavar Shabana Zapatlela 2 Gauri Wagh Anumati Ratnakar's daughter Duniyadari Shirin Ghadge Time Please Radhika Dabholkar Wake Up India Anjali Hindi Mangalashtak Once More Shalini Marathi Tendulkar Out Velvet Manisha 2014 Sau Shashi Deodhar Shubhada Postcard Jaya Guru Purnima Purnima Por Baazar Professor Shraddha Pyaar Vali Love Story Aaliya 2015 Classmates Appu Hunterrr Jyotsana Surve Hindi 3:56 Killari Counsellor Marathi Tu Hi Re Nandini 2016 YZ Parnarekha Family Katta Manju Jaundya Na Balasaheb Karishma Vazandar Kaveri Jadhav 2017 Solo Sati MalayalamTamil Segment: World of Shiva; Debut in Malayalam cinema and Tamil cinema 2018 RakshasIravati Prakash Marathi Love Sonia Anjali Hindi Ashleel Udyog Mitra Mandal Savita Bhabhi Marathi Date with SaieHerself2019 Girlfriend Alisha Nerurkar/Payal Mehta Kulkarni Chaukatla Deshpande Jaya 2020 Dhurala Harshada Navnath Ubhe Cookie Inspector Babar 2021 Medium Spicy Chef K. R. Gowri Colorphool Meera Mimi Shama Hindi 2022Pondicherry Nikita Marathi India Lockdown Phoolmati Hindi 2023Satarcha SalmanMarathiSpecial appearance2024Sridevi Prasanna Sridevi Bhakshak SSP Jasmeet Kaur Hindi Netflix Original Agni Rukmini "Ruku" Surve Amazon Original 2025Ground Zero Jaya Dubey Devmanus — Marathi Special appearance in the song "Aalech Mi"Gulkand Neeta Dhawale 2026Tumbadchi ManjulaShobhaBol Bol Rani Maya AdkittaMangalZee5 Original
Television
YearTitleRoleChannelNotes2003TuzyavinaSanaZee Marathi2004–2005MishaMugdhaZee Marathi2006Hya Gojirvanya Gharat Madhura ParanjpeETV MarathiAgnishikhaETV Marathi2007KasturiNavneetStar PlusAnubandhAshwiniZee Marathi2011Fu Bai FuHostZee Marathi2018–presentMaharashtrachi HasyajatraJudgeSony Marathi
Web series +YearTitleRolePlatformLanguageNotes2017YOLO: You Only Live OnceInspectorSonyLIVMarathiSpecial appearance2021Samantar 2Meera / SundaraMX PlayerNavarasaMalliNetflixTamilIn the Edhiri segment2022Pet PuraanAditi SonyLIVMarathiB.E.RojgaarPiyuYouTube2024Manvat MurdersSamindriSonyLIV2025The Secret of the ShiledarsPriyal DeshpandeDisney+ HotstarHindiCrime BeatArchana PandeyZEE5Dabba CartelSI PreetiNetflixBindiya Ke BahubaliAjji DavanMX Player2026Matka KingBarkha BhattiAmazon Prime Video
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