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Mohan Agashe Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth23 July 1947

Age77 Years

BirthplaceBhor, Bombay Presidency, British India

ProfessionIndian actor, Theatre artist, Psychiatrist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Mahadeo Agashe (Stenographer); Mother - Name not known

Mohan Agashe Biography

Mohan Agashe is an Indian actor, theatre artist and psychiatrist whose career spans Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil cinema, influential stage work, and a

Early life and background

Mohan Agashe was born on 23 July 1947 in Bhor, then part of the Bombay Presidency in British India. He grew up in Pune, attending NVM High School & Junior College in Budhwar Peth and later studying medicine at B. J. Medical College, Pune, where he completed an MBBS and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Psychiatry.

Agashe’s involvement with theatre began early. As a child he performed in school productions and joined children’s theatre groups. His stage work during youth included roles in Marathi plays and college presentations that combined performance with public-awareness efforts.

Career

Agashe pursued parallel careers in psychiatry and performance. In 1981 he was appointed a professor of psychiatry at B. J. Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, a post he held for about a decade. In 1991 he founded the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health in Pune and remained active there as a teacher until 1997. His public mental-health work included a major five-year study of trauma among Latur earthquake victims for the Indian Council of Medical Research and development of rehabilitation measures for those affected. He later served as principal investigator on an Indo–US project addressing cultural aspects of fatigue and weakness, and his projects contributed to the Maharashtra government’s formulation of a mental-education policy.

On stage, Agashe gained wide attention in the 1980s for his portrayal of Nana Phadnavis in Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghashiram Kotwal, a production that travelled to international festivals. He was a co-founder of Pune’s Theatre Academy in 1980 and served as its Honorary President until 1986, working alongside peers such as Jabbar Patel and Satish Alekar.

Agashe’s film career began in Marathi cinema with Samna (1975). He also appeared in Marathi titles including Jait Re Jait (1977), Ek Hota Vidushak (1992), Astu: So Be It (2015), Kaasav (2017), and Chandramukhi (2022). He entered Hindi parallel cinema in 1975 with Nishant, directed by Shyam Benegal, and went on to appear in several Benegal films including Deshmukh, Bhumika and Sadgati.

His Bollywood debut came with Aakrosh (1980), in which he played the role of Bhonsle. Subsequent Hindi film appearances included roles in Mashaal (1984), Train to Pakistan (1998), Gangaajal (2003), Rang De Basanti (2006) and Jolly LLB (2013). He has worked across languages, making his Bengali debut in Feluda 30 (1996) as Maganlal Meghraj and appearing in Bengali films such as Jato Kando Kathmandu Te and Golapi Mukto Rahasya (both 1999). In 2016 he made his Tamil debut with Manithan, and he also appeared in the Tamil film Vezham (2022).

Beyond acting, Agashe has produced films. He produced the 2019 Marathi film Dithee, directed by Sumitra Bhave. He has also participated in shorter digital and spoof projects, including a 2018 Harry Potter parody video and a short romantic comedy that same year.

Administrative and institutional roles

Agashe served as director of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) from 1997 and remained in that role for five years. During his tenure he set policies intended to ensure students completed their courses before new admissions were accepted. He has been active in public film and children’s media bodies, including a position as an executive member of the Governing and Executive Council at the Children’s Film Society of India.

Public profile

Mohan Agashe has been recognized with multiple honors for his contributions to the arts and public life. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990. International and national recognitions include the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2002) and the Goethe Medal (2004), as well as Indian awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award (1996). In later years he received theatre and cultural honors including the Thespo Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), the Vishnudas Bhave Puraskar (2018), the Pride of Planet Award (2018) and the Lotu Patil Theatre Award (2019).

Latest updates

In recent years Agashe continued to appear in regional cinema: he produced Dithee (2019) and acted in projects through 2022, including a role in the Marathi film Chandramukhi and a grandfather role in the Tamil film Vezham. He has remained engaged with theatre and film institutions and retained a public presence in Marathi cultural life, exemplified by his election as President of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natya Sammelan in 2012.

Personal notes

Agashe is unmarried. Physically he is listed at approximately 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) with salt-and-pepper hair and black eyes. He has named playwright Vijay Tendulkar among his favourites and cited actors and filmmakers such as Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi and Satyajit Ray in his artistic influences.

Career highlights

Agashe’s body of work bridges clinical psychiatry, theatre leadership, film performance across multiple Indian languages, and institutional roles that shaped film and mental-health education in Maharashtra. His awards reflect a career respected both domestically and abroad.
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Recent Work

Dithee

Marathi film produced by Mohan Agashe (2019)

2019
Chandramukhi

Marathi film in which Agashe played Dadasaheb Saswadkar (2022)

2022
Vezham

Tamil film in which Agashe played Leena’s grandfather (2022)

2022
Manithan

Tamil debut in which Agashe appeared as Ram Dewan (2016)

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. Co-founder and Honorary President of the Theatre Academy, Pune
  2. Professor of Psychiatry at B. J. Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, Pune (appointed 1981)
  3. Founder of the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health, Pune (1991)
  4. Director of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) (1997–circa 2002)
  5. Recipient of the Padma Shri (1990) and Sahitya Akademi Award (1996)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Mohan Agashe born?

23 July 1947

What is Mohan Agashe known for?

Indian actor, Theatre artist, Psychiatrist

What is Mohan Agashe’s marital status?

Unmarried