The Lioness Of Marathi Cinima

Bold and beautiful, frank and forthright, that is SAI TAMHANKAR for you! In a candid conversation with Citadel, Sai bares it all...

- Swapna Iyer

Sai Tamhankar, an actress who detoured from the sanctioned norms and established doctrines of the Marathi industry, in all aspects gave new lease of life to the cinema therein! She is bold, beautiful and intense; all that is asked for from an actor, she truly gave life to stories, gave characterisation to roles and yet stood apart in each of her performances; that is Sai Tamhankar for you! In an candid, frank and brazen interview, Sai speaks of her journey from scratch, how she projected a personality where there were no instances of casting couch, and how she has managed to be on the top of her career at all times!

Ushered into the studio of her shoot, I wonder how long I might have to wait to get on with the interview. But sure enough, her prompt presence at the scheduled time of interview leaves me a little stunned.

“Time needs to be respected, else you will be left with no respect,” is what she says with a charm of star and warmth of a commoner. True to it, we begin with our interview over a cup of coffee, promptly arranged at her vanity van. Walking over to it, she exchanges pleasantries and makes polite enquires, unlike any other personality I’ve ever met. This raises my bar of respect for her, while at the same time, making the interview more of conversation that a formal assignment.

I observe that Sai’s vanity van has a picture of her as a child with her family, also, her latest release, Family Katta, shows us a very similar portrait of Sai. Naturally, the first question had to be on her childhood, how was she as a kid? “Honestly, I have had blessed childhood! I couldn’t have asked for more!” she says promptly.