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Parikshit Sahni Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1 January 1939

Age86 Years

BirthplaceMuree, Rawalpindi district (now in Pakistan)

ProfessionActor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseNandini Sahni (second wife); first wife Aruna Sahni (deceased)

FamilyFather: Balraj Sahni; Mother: Damayanti Sahni; Stepmother: Santosh Chandhok; Children: Aditi Sahni, Tania Sahni, Varunjai Sahni

Parikshit Sahni Biography

Parikshit Sahni is an Indian actor whose career stretches from child roles in the 1950s to memorable supporting turns in contemporary Hindi cinema. Son of著

Early life and background

Parikshit Sahni was born on 1 January 1939 in the town of Muree in the Rawalpindi district of what was then the United Provinces of British India (now Pakistan). He is the son of actors Balraj Sahni and Damayanti Sahni. After his mother’s early death, his father remarried Santosh Chandhok. Parikshit spent much of his childhood in boarding schools and lived in several places including Kashmir, Dharamshala, and Ambala.

He studied at Shri Shivaji Preparatory Military School in Pune and at Lawrence School, Sanawar. For higher education he attended St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and later went to Moscow to study architecture. He left the architecture course midway and trained in direction, scriptwriting, and editing at the Cinema Institute in Moscow. He also spent a year studying fine arts at Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai.

Career

Parikshit began acting as a child artist, appearing in the 1951 Hindi film Hulchul. Early in his career he also used the stage name Ajay Sahni, a change suggested by a close friend. He wrote the script for the Hindi film Pavitra Paapi (1970) and was intended to direct it, but the producer cast him as the film’s lead instead. A serious on-set accident during the shooting of Veer Shivaji left him with a backbone injury that took a year to recover from; he later said that recovering from those injuries felt like a rebirth and reverted to using his real name.

Over the decades Parikshit worked steadily in film and became widely recognized for supporting roles in notable Bollywood releases. Two of his well-known later appearances are in the mainstream hits 3 Idiots (2009), in which he played the father of the character Farhan, and PK (2014). In addition to his film work, he has pursued interests in painting and spent time writing: in 2019 he published The Non-Conformist: Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni, a book about his father.

Public profile

Parikshit is known both for his long career in Indian cinema and for his literary and artistic interests. He has described a personal spiritual journey that began from atheism in childhood to reading religious texts across traditions, including the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible. His family background is closely linked to the arts and literature: his father Balraj Sahni was a noted actor and teacher, his mother Damayanti was involved in social work, and his uncle Bhisham Sahni was an established Hindi fiction writer.

Personal life

Parikshit has been married twice. His first wife was Aruna Sahni; his second wife is Nandini Sahni, a surgeon based in Jaipur. From his first marriage he has daughters Aditi Sahni and Tania Sahni. From his second marriage he has a son, Varunjai Sahni, who is an abstract artist based in Jaipur. He has a sister, Shabnam Sahni, and a half-sister, Sanober Sahni.

Latest updates

Later in life Parikshit continued to appear on screen and to engage in creative pursuits such as painting and writing. His most widely seen roles in recent years include performances in the films 3 Idiots (2009) and PK (2014). In 2019 he released a memoir-style biography of his father, reflecting on family history and his father’s influence.

Physical details and other notes

Parikshit’s height is listed at approximately 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches). He has dark brown eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. He has been publicly observed smoking and drinking at events. He is identified with Indian nationality and his zodiac sign is Capricorn.
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Recent Work

3 Idiots

Played the role of Farhan's father (Mr. Qureshi) in the 2009 blockbuster.

2009
PK

Appeared in the 2014 film as a supporting actor.

2014
The Non-Conformist: Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni

A book published in 2019 recounting memories of his father.

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Child artist debut in Hulchul (1951)
  2. Wrote the script for Pavitra Paapi (1970) and appeared as its lead
  3. Memorable supporting roles in 3 Idiots (2009) and PK (2014)
  4. Published a biography of his father in 2019
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Parikshit Sahni born?

1 January 1939

What is Parikshit Sahni known for?

Actor

What is Parikshit Sahni’s marital status?

Married

Who is Parikshit Sahni married to?

Nandini Sahni (second wife); first wife Aruna Sahni (deceased)