Featured BiographyImage source: StarsUnfolded
Quick Info
Date of birth30 January 1949
Age76 Years
BirthplaceDelhi, India
ProfessionActor, Theatre Director, Playwright
NationalityIndian
Marital statusWidower
SpouseAnita Alekar
FamilySon - Mikin
Satish Alekar Biography
Satish Vasant Alekar is an Indian playwright, actor and theatre director whose work in Marathi theatre and film has been influential since the 1970s. Best‑
Early life and backgroundSatish Vasant Alekar was born on 30 January 1949 in Delhi and moved with his family to Pune as an infant. He grew up in Pune, a city with a strong Marathi cultural scene, and attended The Deccan Education Society’s New English School, Ramanbaug. He went on to study at Fergusson College, Pune, where he completed a B.Sc., and later earned a master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Pune.
While at college Alekar became involved with theatre and began performing on stage. An early mentor recognized his promise and invited him to join the Progressive Dramatic Association, launching a lifelong engagement with Marathi theatre.
Career
Alekar’s professional life has balanced theatre, academia and film. He began writing and performing in one‑act plays in the late 1960s and made his Marathi play debut with Ek Zulta Pool in 1971. Over the next decades he wrote many stage works that became staples of modern Marathi theatre, including Micky ani Memsahib (1973), Mahanirvan (1974), Mahapoor (1975), Begum Barve (1979), Atirekee (1990) and Pidhijat (2003). He has also produced and adapted numerous one‑act pieces and translations.
Mahanirvan, a black comedy first staged in 1974 about a family’s response to death, became one of his most widely performed plays and is regarded as a classic of the Indian stage. His plays have been translated into many Indian languages and have been included in national anthologies.
Alekar’s association with cinema dates to the late 1970s and early 1980s. He scripted the Marathi feature Jait Re Jait (1977), which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. He debuted on screen as an actor in the Marathi film Akriet (1981) and has appeared in numerous Marathi films including Umbartha (1982), Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (1991), Ek Hota Vidushak (1992), Dhyas Parva (2001), Kadachit (2007), Chintoo (2012), Aajachaa Diwas Maazaa (2013) and Welcome Zindagi (2015). He made his Hindi film acting debut in Ye Kahani Nahi (1984) and later appeared in Hindi films such as Dumkata (2007), Aiyaa (2012), Dekh Tamasha Desk (2014) and Thackeray (2019). In 2021 he played BR. Sheshrao Wankhede in the Hindi sports film 83.
Beyond acting, Alekar directed the Hindi television serial Dekho Magar Pyar Se for Doordarshan in 1985 and has taught theatre internationally, including a visiting course at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003 and directing an English production of Begum Barve at the University of Georgia in 2005.
Academic and institutional roles
Alekar combined academic work with his creative practice. From 1972 he worked at B. J. Medical College, Pune as a biochemistry professor until 1996. He later served as professor and Head of the Centre for Performing Arts at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune from 1996 to 2009. He was appointed Honorary Director at the University of Pune for a program supported by the Ratan Tata Trust from 2009 to 2011 and was later nominated as a Distinguished Professor (Performing Arts) on the campus in 2013. He has also been invited as a visiting teacher and director by institutions abroad.
Public profile
Alekar’s writing and plays have been collected and translated into English; Oxford University Press published a compilation of his translated plays in 2009. English versions of his work have reached international stages — for example, Micky and Memsahib was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009. A 90‑minute film on his life, Natakkar Satish Alekar, was made in 2008.
He has received numerous honours over his career, including state and national awards for playwriting and acting, fellowships to study theatre abroad, recognition from theatre organisations, and the Padma Shri in 2012. His plays were selected for inclusion in anthologies by the National School of Drama and the Sahitya Akademi.
Alekar has also written non‑fiction and columns. He wrote a fortnightly Marathi column titled Gagnika for Loksatta in 2015, later published as a book. Many of his students from academic roles have gone on to work in film and television.
Latest updates
In recent years Alekar has appeared in Marathi web series such as Smile Please (2019), Panchak (2019) and Pet‑Puran (2021). His work continued in feature films with his role in 83 (2021). He has endorsed several commercial brands and remains active in writing; he has mentioned working on new dramatic material.
Personal life
Satish Alekar was married to Anita Alekar on 22 February 1976. He is a father to a son named Mikin and is listed as a widower. He is based in Pune and lists tea, travel and reading among his interests.
Legacy
Alekar’s contribution to Marathi theatre spans more than four decades as a playwright, actor and director. His plays continue to be staged, studied and translated, and his influence is visible in both regional theatre practice and the many students who trained under him and moved into the performing arts.
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Recent Work
Played BR. Sheshrao Wankhede in the Hindi sports film 83.
2021Featured in this Marathi web series.
2021Featured in this Marathi web series.
2019Career Highlights
- Wrote and directed the influential Marathi play Mahanirvan (1974)
- Scripted the National Award–winning Marathi film Jait Re Jait (1977)
- Served as Head of the Centre for Performing Arts, Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune (1996–2009)
- Published collected English translations of his plays with Oxford University Press (2009)
- Received the Padma Shri (2012)
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Satish Alekar born?
Satish Alekar was born on 30 January 1949.
What is Satish Alekar known for?
Satish Alekar is known for actor, Theatre Director, Playwright.
What is Satish Alekar’s marital status?
Satish Alekar's marital status is listed as Widower.
Who is Satish Alekar married to?
Satish Alekar is publicly listed as married to Anita Alekar.
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