Sanjay Sugaonkar

Sanjay Sugaonkar is a well-known face in the Marathi theatre fraternity and has acted in plays like ‘Sasrebuva Jara Japun’ and ‘Makadachya Hati’. He attained national exposure and became known to people outside the mentioned spectrum with the show ‘Rukh Jaana Nahi’, in which he played the role of a pandit (priest), Sitaram Panda. The story of the show revolved around the female protagonist, Sanchi, who belonged to an ordinary family and struggled and fought every day to break out of the social confines the society built around her. Sitaram Panda was a well-intentioned priest who tried to help Sanchi once by telling Indu, the local goon head over heels over Sanchi and wanting to tie the knot with her as soon as possible, and his mother that she would die if Indu married Sanchi.

His wife and son were, on the contrary, antagonists although the son saw the error of his ways towards the end and turned into a protagonist. Recently, he was part of the PIFF (Pune International Film Festival) nominated movie ‘Halal’ (2016). Sugaonkar’s acting career, despite his experience and ability, has been unfortunately understated on the whole. Every performance of his, regardless of the magnitude of the role, makes you wonder how an actor so consistent in his stoic performances remains so unheralded. Being someone who mainly performs in theater, his ability to mould into and play different characters with immaculate ease is usually on full display. With more and more impetus now starting to be given to efficient actors, it might only be a matter of time till actors like Sugaonkar are given due appreciation for their hard work and talent.