Mukta Barve
Mukta Barve is an Indian film, television, and theatre actress and a producer. One of the most popular Marathi celebrities, she has established a career in Marathi films. She is a recipient of seven Maharashtra State Film Awards one for Best Debut and other six for Best Actress in different plays and films.
In 1998, she made her debut to Marathi television with the show Ghadlay Bighadlay. She made her debut in Marathi theatre with Aamhala Vegle Vhayache, a Marathi play. In 2002, she debuted into Marathi films with Chakwa. Her work was appreciated in the films Thang, Maati Maay , Sawar Re , Saas Bahu Aur Sensex, Sumbaran and Ek Daav Dhobi Pachhad . The 2009 film, Jogwa became a turning point in her career, giving her back-to-back hit films: Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai, Aaghaat, Badam Rani Gulam Chor , Lagna Pahave Karun , Mangalashtak Once More , Double Seat and Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai 2. The shows Agnihotra and Eka Lagnachi Dusri Goshta are an important part of her television career. In her theatre career, Final Draft, Dehbhaan, Kabaddi Kabaddi and Chhapa Kata are some of her famous plays. In 2015, she became a part of three successful films which include Highway, Double Seat and Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai 2. In 2016, she appeared in two Marathi films YZ and Ganvesh.
Barve also owns a production house named Rasika Productions, under which she has produced the plays: Chhapa Kata, Lovebirds and Indira, a theatre-based poetry programme, Rang Nava, in which she presents some poetry of her own and some of the others. Currently, she is acting and producing a play named CodeMantra under the banner of Rasika Productions.
Life and family
Mukta Barve was born 17 May 1979 in Chinchwad near Pune, Maharashtra, India. Her father worked at a telecom company and her mother was a school teacher. She also has a brother, Debu Barve who is a commercial artist. In her school, she participated in many plays. After completing her Standard 10, Barve decided to take up acting as her profession. Barve completed her 11 and 12th standard from Sir Parshurambhau College, Pune. Later, she graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University in Theatre and earned a bachelor's degree with Drama from Lalit Kala Kendra. Barve has admitted to being socially awkward as a child and did not have many friends. Later, she moved to Mumbai to focus completely on her acting career and stayed at a girls hostel in Kurla.Acting career
1999-2007: Television, film and theatre debut
Barve had her first acting role in the play Ghar Tighancha Hava, just after having completed school. Later, when she moved to Mumbai, she got her first commercial play, Suyog's Aamhala Vegle Vhayache in 2001. She made her debut in Marathi television in 1998 with the TV series Ghadlay Bighadlay, in which she played the character named Champa in rural style. She later played small roles in TV series such as Pimpalpan, Bandhan, Buwa Aala, Chitta Chor, Me Ek Bandu, Abhalmaya, Shriyut Gangadhar Tipre and Indradhanush. In 2004, she made her debut in the Marathi film industry with the film Chakwa, for which she received the Maharashtra State Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer of the year. In 2005, Barve played a cameo role in Amol Palekar's bilingual film Thang and also worked in the commercial plays Dehbhaan and Final Draft. In Final Draft she played a student who is unable to grasp what the professor teaches at the academy. For Dehbhaan, she received the award of Most Promising Newcomer of the year at the Alpha Gaurav Puraskar 2003 and award of Best Supporting Actress of the year at Alpha Gaurav Puraskar 2005 for the play Final Draft. Also, Barve was honoured with the awards of Best Actress in the Experimental Theatre of the year at Alpha Gaurav Puraskar 2005, Best Actress in Commercial Play of the year at Maharashtra Times Awards 2006 and Best Actress in Commercial Play of the year at Zee Gaurav Puraskar 2008.Barve next played cameo roles in the films Shevri, Blind Game and Maati Maay. In 2006, Barve worked in the Marathi TV series Agnishikha, in which she played the title role. Also in the same year, she did the commercial play Hum To Tere Aashiq Hain, in which she played a Muslim girl, Ruksana Saahil, who falls for a Hindu man Anil Pradhan and marries him. For her work in the play, she received the Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Actress in a Commercial Play. Barve's next release was Sawar Re, in which she played Mukta. Barve's next commercial play was Jitendra Patil's debut play Kabaddi Kabaddi, in which she played a girl who wants to be a Kabaddi champion like her ostracised uncle, but her father wants her to settle down like his other daughters in the United States. For her work in the play Kabaddi Kabaddi, she was given the award for Best Actress in a Commercial Play at the Zee Gaurav Puraskar, Maharashtra Times Awards and Maharashtra State Film Awards.
2008-2011: ''Jogwa'' and success
In 2008, Barve made a special appearance in the film De Dhakka and played a cameo role of Parimal Bhosle in the Hindi film Saas Bahu Aur Sensex. Saas Bahu Aur Sensex grossed domestically. In 2009, Barve featured in the Ashok Saraf's producer debut Ek Daav Dhobi Pachhad , a comedy romance in the role of Sulakshana, who has feelings for her father's enemy's son and lies to her father that she is pregnant in order to visit the U.S. Her next appearance was in Gajendra Ahire's film Sumbaran, in which she played a Dhangar girl named Kalyani. Barve's final appearance of 2010 was opposite Upendra Limaye in the National Award winning film Jogwa, dealing with religious superstitions in rural India. She played Suli, a Jogtin, a happy and innocent girl who is forced into a lifetime of servitude to the local deity, who enters a relationship with Tayappa, a forced eunuch. To prepare for the role, Barve studied the life of a Jogtin through photographs and by observing day-to-day rural behaviour. For this portrayal, Barve won the awards for Best Actress at Maharashtra State Film Awards and at Marathi International Film and Theatre Awards. In 2009, Barve was honoured by the Sangeet Natak Akademi with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for achievement in Marathi theatre.Barve's next release was the Bollywood film Thanks Maa ; she played a cameo role of Lakshmi, a prostitute. Taran Adarsh of entertainment portal of Bollywood Hungama wrote of her performance, "Mukta Barve; effective". Thanks Maa grossed domestically. In 2010, Barve also starred in Satish Rajwade's romantic film Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai, opposite Swwapnil Joshi. Her character was a girl based in Mumbai, going to Pune and lands up meeting Joshi's character. The chemistry between Barve and Swwapnil Joshi was compared with that of Bollywood's actors Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. Her next appearance was in the TV show Agnihotra, in which she played Manjula Shripad Agnihotri. Her next release was Aika Dajiba, where she played Sharu, a girl who falls for a Gujarati grocer's son in the village. Barve next featured in Vikram Gokhale's directorial debut, Aaghaat as Dr. Smita Deshmukh. For this, Barve won the award for Best Actress at the Pune International Film Festival. In 2010, she also played Adv. Meera Patwardhan in the TV show Lajja, alongside Girija Oak and Piyush Ranade. At the Raja Paranjape Film Festival 2011, she was honoured with the Tarunai Sanmaan Award for her contribution to the Marathi film industry. In 2011, she featured in an episode of the Marathi show Madhu Ethe Ani Chandra Tithe, opposite Swwapnil Joshi. In the episode, she played Gauri, a village belle who is married to a city boy, Siddhanth.
2012-2014: ELDG and other films
Barve's next appearance was opposite Swwapnil Joshi in Satish Rajwade's TV show Eka Lagnachi Dusri Goshta . She portrayed the character of Radha Desai, an artist working in an ad agency who does contract marriage with Joshi's character due to parental pressure. Her portrayal was highly appreciated by the audiences. The show received great applause and high TRPs because of the love story between the protagonists - Radha and Ghanshyam. In 2012, Barve worked in Satish Rajwade's Badam Rani Gulam Chor, an adaptation of the Marathi play Makadachya Hati Champagne, alongside Upendra Limaye, Pushkar Shrotri and Anand Ingale. This film was Barve's second venture with actor Upendra Limaye after Jogwa. Barve played Pencil in the film, her character was named according to its characteristics. The Times of India wrote of her performance, "Mukta Barve has done a fantastic job. Mukta has shown 'Pencil's' bold attitude flawlessly". In 2012, Barve also featured in the film, Gola Berij, an adaptation of the Marathi book with the same title. She played a cameo role of Nandini Chaubal in the film. The film also had a cast of senior actors like Prashant Damle, Mohan Agashe, Subodh Bhave to name a few.In 2013, Barve visited Toronto for the show of her critically acclaimed play Final Draft, along with her co-star Girish Joshi. In 2013, Barve worked in two back-to-back hit films, becoming one of the top performers of the year. In 2013, Barve worked in her self-produced commercial play Chhapa Kata, alongside Reema Lagoo, later Lagoo was replaced by Neena Kulkarni. Barve played Maitreyi Bhagwat, who runs a boutique to support the family, and lives a life where she has suppressed all her desires to be able to take care of her mother. For the play Chhapa Kata, Barve won the awards for Best Play at Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards and the awards for Best Play and Best Actress at Sanskruti Kaladarpan Awards. Ajay Naik's directorial debut, a romantic musical love story, Lagna Pahave Karun was Barve's next film release. Co-starring Umesh Kamat, Siddharth Chandekar and Tejashree Pradhan Ketkar, Barve was cast as Aditi Tilak, a wedding planner who wants to start her own marriage bureau. Indian Nerve reviewed her performance as: "Performance wise, Mukta as a strong and determined Aditi who is scared of failing is the best character of them all. She pulled off the role very aptly." Her next appearance in 2013, was opposite Swwapnil Joshi and alongside Sai Tamhankar and Kadambari Kadam in Renu Desai's Mangalashtak Once More. She played the character Aarti Pathak, romantic, shy girl who surrenders to love. The Times of India reviewed her performance as "Mukta too excels with her comic timing and dialogue delivery". In 2014, she acted in a Konkani film, Gunaaji in the role of a shepherd alongside Upendra Limaye. In 2014, she also acted in a short film, Shot, directed by Ratnakar Matkari.