Saiee Manjrekar: ‘Dad told me, I’ll never make a call on your behalf’

Saiee Manjrekar’s next, The India House, produced by Telugu star Ram Charan and Tamil actor Vikram, is nearing completion. With the period drama that also stars Nikhil Siddhartha and Anupam Kher, Manjrekar is pleased to continue exploring Telugu cinema, besides Hindi offerings. For the actor, diversifying into multiple languages is a way of expanding her identity. “Working in Telugu cinema has taught me discipline and a different kind of respect for the craft. I don’t want to confine myself to just one space,” she says.

Mahesh Manjrekar

In the six years since debuting with Dabangg 3 (2019) opposite Salman Khan, the actor has straddled the two industries. Her filmography includes Bollywood offerings like Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024) as well as Telugu movies like Major (2022) and Skanda (2023). She credits filmmaker and her father Mahesh Manjrekar for instilling in her the resilience needed to navigate an industry. 

“My father has been my biggest inspiration, but never my shortcut. When I first told him about my acting [aspirations], he told me, ‘If you want to be an actor, it has to be your decision. I will never put you in a room with any friend of mine or make a call on your behalf.’ At first, it felt daunting. But today, I see how important that lesson was. I learnt to face rejection, to audition with strangers, and to earn every opportunity on my own merit.”

Saiee Manjrekar also dabbled in Marathi cinema. She starred as a child actor in Mahesh Manjrekar’s film, ‘Kaksparsh’ (2012)