Girish Kulkarni

{{Short description|Indian actor, writer and producer (b. 1977)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Girish Kulkarni

| image = Girish Kulkarni (cropped).jpg

| caption = Kulkarni in 2012

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|25 November 1977}}

| birth_place = Nannaj, Solapur district, Maharashtra, India

| occupation = {{hlist|

Actor|

Writer|

Producer|

Director|

}}

| known_for = Dangal

| spouse =

| children =

| parents = Lata Kulkarni (Mother)

| awards = {{plainlist|

}}

| website =

}}

Girish Pandurang Kulkarni (born 25 November 1977) is an Indian actor, writer, and producer. He is a recipient of two National Film Awards namely, National Film Award for Best Actor in 2011 for his performance in Deool and National Film Award for Best Screenplay for the same film. He is well known for Marathi films such as Valu, Vihir, Deool, Gabhricha Paus and Jaundya Na Balasaheb.{{cite web |url=http://www.mumbaicinemas.com/girish-kulkarni |title=Girish Kulkarni |publisher=Mumbai Cinemas |access-date=5 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426070655/http://www.mumbaicinemas.com/girish-kulkarni/ |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.gomolo.com/about-girish-kulkarni/334891 |title=Girish Kulkarni Latest Movies Videos Images Photos Wallpapers Songs Biography Trivia On |date=12 March 2012 |publisher=Gomolo.com |author=Square on |access-date=5 June 2012 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120102741/http://www.gomolo.com/about-girish-kulkarni/334891 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2882328/ |title=Ugly IMDB |website=IMDb |date=26 December 2014 }} He is known to Hindi audiences for his role in the Aamir Khan starrer Dangal and Anurag Kashyap's movie Ugly. He received acclaim for his portrayal of gangster 'Appa' in the 2017 Marathi crime thriller Faster Fene opposite Amey Wagh.{{Cite web |url=https://thereel.scroll.in/854208/in-marathi-film-faster-fene-br-bhagwats-loveable-1950s-boy-detective-gets-a-modern-day-twist |title=Faster Fene review |work=Scroll}} He also starred in India's first Netflix original series Sacred Games as the Maharashtra home minister Bipin Bhosale character.

Personal life

{{BLP unsourced section|date=July 2017}}

Kulkarni was born on 25 November 1977 in the Paranda Taluka of Osmanabad district and grew up in Pune. He pursued his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic Latur. He was involved in local stage plays. After Post Graduation, he worked for private IT companies for a while but soon enough he decided to pursue a career in writing. Kulkarni then joined the Marathi film industry.

Career

Kulkarni began his career as a Cluster Programming Head for Radio Mirchi.{{cite web |url=http://www.marathisanmaan.com/marathi-actors/girish-kulkarni |title=Ugly actor Girish Kulkarni |date=27 August 2014 |publisher=Marathi Sanmaan |access-date=21 January 2015}}

File:Girish Kulkarni KVIFF.jpg in 2008]]

Valu, released in 2008, was a light, enjoyable movie portraying various stereotypical characters found in an Indian village through the simple story of a wild bull which needs to be captured. Inspired by his observations, and many of the characters he writes reflect authentic village people.

In 2009's Gabhricha Paus, he portrayed the tragic story of an Indian farmer from a small village in Vidarbha, who is suffering because of sparse rain, evil money lenders and the negligence of the Indian government towards farmers. His second release in 2009, Vihir, was an abstract movie which told the story of an adolescent boy who sets out to understand the meaning of life and death after his cousin and close friend dies. Vihir was screened at Berlin International Film Festival in 2010 and garnered praise and critical appreciation from all over the world.

His following movie Deool, released in 2011, which depicted how politicians manipulate the beliefs of innocent masses in the name of God. The film earned him two National Film Awards, for best actor and for best screenplay.

His next writing and acting venture in Marathi cinema, the movie Masala released in 2012 quickly became a family favourite, unveiling new aspects of his talents. In 2013, he made his acting debut in Bollywood with film-maker Anurag Kashyap's thriller Ugly, in which his performance as the inadvertently funny cop brought him the attention and praise of the industry as well as the masses.

Currently,{{when|date=October 2021}} work on his upcoming films is underway. His next is a Marathi movie titled Highway, starring Huma Qureshi and Tisca Chopra, which he has written, acted in, and co-produced. He is also working on a comedy film, with which he will mark his directorial debut, apart from acting in it.{{cite news |author=Sumedha Deo* |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/regional/afraid-of-getting-typecast-ugly-actor-girish-kulkarni/article1-1302643.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125120747/http://www.hindustantimes.com/regional/afraid-of-getting-typecast-ugly-actor-girish-kulkarni/article1-1302643.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 January 2015 |title=Afraid of getting typecast: Ugly actor Girish Kulkarni |newspaper=Hindustan Times |access-date=21 January 2015}}

He has acted as the National coach for Geeta Phogat in the acclaimed movie Dangal (film). The character had shades of grey and is shown to have issues with on-screen Mahavir Phogat. This was his biggest role in Bollywood, with Dangal earning over $300 million to become the 5th highest grossing non-English film of all time.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/12/dangal-joins-300-million-club-now-the-5th-biggest-non-english-movie-ever/ |title=Dangal Gross |magazine=Forbes |access-date=30 August 2018}} He was also seen in Kaabil as Inspector Nalawade. Later in 2017, Kulkarni portrayed local gangster Appa in Faster Fene, based on the popular book series written by Bhaskar Ramachandra Bhagwat.

In 2018, Kulkarni portrayed politician Bipin Bhonsle in the Netflix original Sacred Games, based on the 2006 thriller by Vikram Chandra of the same name. With a star studded cast, including Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Radhika Apte, Sacred Games has been lauded by critics as one of the best web series to come out of India.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gq.com/story/sacred-games-is-the-best-new-show-on-netflix-you-arent-watching |title=Sacred Games: Best Netflix show you aren't watching |magazine=GQ |access-date=30 August 2018}}{{Cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/29/sacred-games-review-netflix-strikes-gold-with-stylish-indian-thriller-7671282/ |title=Netflix strikes gold with Sacred Games |date=29 June 2018 |publisher=Metro |access-date=30 August 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-netflixs-sacred-games-is-a-brilliant-thriller-series-from-india/ |title=Sacred Games is a brilliant thriller |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |access-date=30 August 2018}}

Filmography

= Films =

class="wikitable sortable"
YearTitleRoleLanguageclass="unsortable" | Notes
2006BadhaBevdarowspan="9" | Marathi
2008ValuJeevan
rowspan=3 | 2009Gabhricha PausKisna
| GandhaMangesh
| VihirBhavasha Mama
2011DeoolKeshya
2012MasalaRevan Patil{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-masala-marathi_1678428 |title=Review: Masala (Marathi) |newspaper=DNA |date=20 April 2012 |author=Shakti Salgaonkar |access-date=21 May 2012 |location=Mumbai}}
rowspan=2 | 2013Pune 52Amar Aapte
| PostcardPostman
2014UglyVijay JadhavHindi
2015HighwayShekharMarathi
rowspan=2 | 2016Jaundya Na BalasahebBalasahebMarathi
| DangalWrestling Coach Pramod Kadamrowspan="2" | Hindi
rowspan=2 | 2017KaabilInspector Nalawade
| Faster FeneAppaMarathi
rowspan=2 | 2018Fanney KhanKaran KakkadHindi
| Boyz 2Madan Bondwerowspan="3" | Marathi
rowspan=2 | 2019FirebrandMadhav Patkar
| DitheeGovinda
2020Bhaag Beanie BhaagHindi
2022BhirkitTatyaMarathi
rowspan=5 | 2023ThankamInspector Jayant SakhalkarMalayalam{{Cite web |title=‘Dangal’ fame Girish Kulkarni to make his Malayalam debut with Dileesh Pothan's ‘Thankam’ - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/dangal-fame-girish-kulkarni-to-make-his-malayalam-debut-with-dileesh-pothans-thankam/articleshow/91786753.cms |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-01-20 |title=Syam Pushkaran on casting Girish Kulkarni in Thankam: ‘He is an actor like Jagathy and Thilakan, he has that range’ |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/syam-pushkaran-on-casting-girish-kulkarni-in-thankam-he-is-an-actor-like-jagathy-and-thilakan-8392650/ |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}
JailerBal SinghTamil
GanapathSeniorHindi{{Cite web |date=2023-10-23 |title=Ganapath box office collection day 3: Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon film shows no growth, earns ₹7 cr over opening weekend |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/ganapath-box-office-collection-day-3-tiger-shroff-kriti-sanon-film-opening-weekend-101698029917924.html |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}
Boyz 4Madan Bondwerowspan="2" | Marathi
Ekda Yeun Tar BaghaShravan Dada{{Cite web |date=2023-11-25 |title=Starring 14 Prominent Actors, Marathi Film Ekda Yeun Tar Bagha To Hit The Theatres on... |url=https://www.news18.com/movies/starring-14-prominent-actors-marathi-film-ekda-yeun-tar-bagha-to-hit-the-theatres-on-8676422.html |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=News18 |language=en}}
2024

|Gaarud

|RK

|Marathi

| {{cite web |title=Gaarud Movie (2024): Cast, Trailer, OTT, Songs, Release Date {{!}} Garud {{!}} गारुड {{!}} Exclusive 2024 |url=https://rangmarathi.com/gaarud-movie/ |website=Rang Marathi |access-date=13 October 2024 |date=9 October 2024}}

= Web series =

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Language !! Platform !! Notes

2018Sacred GamesBipin BhosleHindiNetflix
2021SunflowerS.I. Chetan TambeHindiZEE5{{Cite web |date=2022-06-16 |title=Girish Kulkarni: We’ll see a lot of regional projects on pan-India platforms |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/girish-kulkarni-we-ll-see-a-lot-of-regional-projects-on-pan-india-platforms-101655401281879.html |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}
2022Guilty MindsBhandariHindiAmazon Prime Video{{Cite web |title=Guilty Minds trailer out: young lawyers, quirky cases |url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/videos/2022/apr/08/guilty-minds-trailer-out-young-lawyers-quirky-cases-30759.html |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Writing and production credits

YearFilmNotes
2008ValuStory, screenplay, Dialogues and producer
2009VihirStory, screenplay, Dialogues
2011DeoolStory, screenplay, Dialogues
2012MasalaStory, screenplay, Dialogues
2016Jaundya Na BalasahebStory, screenplay, Dialogues, Direction
2018DhappaWriter, Co-producer

Awards

:* 2011 Deool - National Film Award for Best Actor[http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/vidya-balan-girish-kulkarni-big-winners-at-national-film-awards-237334.html Vidya Balan, Girish Kulkarni big winners at National Film Awards]

:* 2011 Deool - National Film Award for Best Screenplay (Best Dialogue)

:*Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar for Best Supporting Actor for film Valu.

:*Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Marathi for film Faster Fene.

:* 2017 Jaundyana Balasaheb - Zee Chitra Gaurav 2017

:* 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards Nominated-Best Supporting Actor -Sunflower (web series) Season 2

References

{{Reflist}}