Rajshri Deshpande is an Indian actress. She gained international recognition for her performance in

Pan Nalin Nalin Kumar Pandya, popularly known as Pan Nalin, is an Indian filmmaker, best known for directing award-winning movies like '' Samsara'' (2001), '' Valley of Flowers'' (2006), '' Angry Indian Goddesses'' (2015) and the semi-autobiographical ' ...

's drama film '' Angry Indian Goddesses''. She then portrayed the title character in

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan Sanal Kumar Sasidharan (born 8 April 1977) is an Indian poet, lawyer, and film director, filmmaker. Personal life Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was born in Perumkadavila village, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala on 8 April 1977. He graduated in Z ...

's ''

Sexy Durga ''Sexy Durga'' (Changed into ''S Durga'' for Indian release) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language Independent film, indie Horror film, horror film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan. The film is about the religious divide in the society of Keral ...

'' and received critical acclaim for her performance in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Sacred Games''. In 2023, Deshpande won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the

2023 Filmfare OTT Awards 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, the fourth edition of awards presented to honour artistic and technical excellence in original programming on Over-the-top media service, over-the-top streaming media in Hindi-language. Web original shows or films rele ...

, for her work in '' Trial by Fire''.

Early life

Rajshri Deshpande was born in a working-class family in

Aurangabad Aurangabad (), officially renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a ...

, Maharashtra. She is the youngest of three siblings. She has an undergraduate degree in law from

Symbiosis Law School Symbiosis Law School (SLS) is a law school with campuses located in Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, and Nagpur in India. The law school in Pune was established in 1977 under the banner of Symbiosis Society, under the patronage of S. B. Mujumdar, Presi ...

and a postgraduate degree in advertising from

Symbiosis International University Symbiosis International (Deemed University), is a multi-campus private, deemed university located in the city of Pune, India. The university is located in various campuses in Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik, Noida, Nagpur and Dubai etc. Ran ...

. She got into the advertising industry to support herself but soon found her calling in acting. She also has a diploma in filmmaking from

Whistling Woods International __NOTOC__ Whistling Woods International is a film, communication and creative arts institute located in Mumbai, India. Founded in 2006 by Subhash Ghai. The institute is promoted by the Indian Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Mukta Arts and Film City M ...

in Mumbai.

Career

Deshpande made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with a small role in the

Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...

starrer '' Talaash''. She then moved to television and appeared in ''

Kuch Toh Log Kahenge ''Kuch Toh Log kahenge'' () is an Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy family drama television series which aired on Sony TV. It premiered on 3 October 2011 and ended on 28 March 2013. The series revolves around a team of doctors working at ...

'' and '' 24: India'', in 2013. She subsequently returned to the big screen with a small role in

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

's ''

Kick A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of ...

''. She also appeared in the Malayalam film ''

Haram ''Haram'' (; ) is an Arabic term meaning 'taboo'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or, in direct cont ...

'' in 2015, where she had a double role. In Hindi cinema, it was the portrayal of Laxami in

's '' Angry Indian Goddesses'' that provided her with a bigger platform. The film received the 1st Runner Up – People's Choice Award at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

and the People's Choice Award at the

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. From 2022, the festival was officially recognized as a competitive festival by the Internation ...

. Deshpande played the leading role in

's film ''

'' in 2017, which won the Tiger Award at the

Rotterdam Film Festival International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

. Deshpande made her digital debut with BBC One's ''

McMafia ''McMafia'' is a British crime drama television series created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, and directed by Watkins. It is inspired by the book '' McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld'' by journalist Misha Glenny ...

'', directed by James Watkins, in January 2018. She was also seen in the

show '' Sacred Games'', directed by

Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to films, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Ordre ...

. In it, she played the character of Subhadra and was praised for her role as the wife of

Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, an IIFA Award, and two Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for an ...

's character. A scandal arose when she was accused of being a porn star by some viewers, as the show included a nude sex scene. The actress replied that she hadn't done anything wrong. She later portrayed

Ismat Chughtai Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1911 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-cla ...

Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...

's '' Manto''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deshpande, Rajshri Living people Actresses from Mumbai People from Aurangabad, Maharashtra Indian film actresses Indian web series actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Marathi cinema Actresses in Urdu cinema Indian television actresses Indian soap opera actresses Actresses in Hindi television 21st-century Indian actresses Year of birth missing (living people)