Upendra Limaye

Some Lesser Known Facts About Upendra Limaye

• Upendra Limaye is an Indian actor known for playing the role of Tayappa in the Marathi film Jogwa (2009). He began his career in 1994 and, over more than two decades, he has acted in around 25 films in Marathi, Hindi, and Tamil cinema.

• He was the first in his family to become a stage, television, and screen actor. He was brought up in a blend of both orthodoxy and liberal family. His father’s side strictly followed traditional, age-old customs, while his mother’s family followed openness and liberalism.

• He was always more interested in co-curricular activities than in studies.

• When he was a child, he wanted to become a cricketer but his parents did not want him to play the sport. They wanted him to play kabaddi. After some time, he realized that the financial condition of his family was the real problem.

• His craze for theatre started with the school’s social gathering plays. After completing class 12th, he told his parents that he wanted to join Lalit Kala Kendra and pursue acting.

• He then took up acting as his full-time profession at Lalit Kala Kendra in Pune. He took a job at Pune’s Alurkar Music House to support himself.

• He formed an Experimental Theatre platform named ‘Parichay’ along with his friends Sanjay Pawar, Subodh Pande and Abhay Godse after completing his tenure at Lalit Kala Kendra.

• Starting in 1990 and continuing for five years, he acted in several Grips Theatre plays. In an interview, he said that it helped him a lot because, in these plays, actors in their 30s portray children of 8 or 9 years old. It was a challenging exercise for actors. It helped in developing both ‘flexibility of mind and body.’ It also added credibility to the challenging roles he did.

• In 1999, when he arrived in Mumbai with a decade of experience with the ‘Parichay’ group, he wanted to act in a mainstream commercial play called ‘Dr Aap Bhi.’ During this time, he met Sachin Khedekar, who was actively involved in various TV serials. This meeting with him led to a positive change that facilitated further progress in his career.

• In the early 2000s, he also ventured into Marathi television. Although he received offers for Hindi shows, it did not go with the dream he wanted to pursue.

• He collaborated with Vinay Apte, and later, Madhur Bhandarkar, a friend of Vinay Apte, who gave him his first opportunity in Bollywood in 2002. It was a small role in the film ‘Chandani Bar.’ Meanwhile, he was working in TV serials, taking on small roles. However, the turning point came in 2004 when Madhur Bhandarkar offered me a significant role as Inspector Bhosale in a film. In 2019, when he appeared as a guest on The Kapil Sharma Show, he stated that the 2001 Hindi film Chandni Bar was his first commercially hit film.

  

• He appeared in various Marathi films including Dhyaas Parva (2001) as press owner, Jatra: Hyalagaad Re Tyalagaad (2006) as Ramdas Mali, Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010) as Shrihari, Yellow (2014) as a swimming coach, and Sarsenapati Hambirrao (2022) as Bahirji Naik.

  

• He worked in Hindi cinema as well. He appeared in Hindi films like Page 3 (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), My Name is 340 (2011), 200 – Halla Ho Suresh Patil (2021), and Antim: The Final Truth (2021).

  

• In 2020, he appeared in the television series ‘Tara from Satara in which he played the role of a Kathak teacher. In an interview, he talked about his role and said,
  

  I prefer characters that challenge me as an actor. I believe as an artiste there are two aspects to a role, the outer value, which is the costume and look, these are taken care of by the creative department. Then there is the inner personality, here is what I enjoy the most. I like to experiment with the character, get the body language right. I try to bring in as much authenticity possible. We have Kathak experts on the set for me to get the layers right.”

• In 2022, he appeared in the Marathi television show Mi Punha Yein and Gemadpanthi in 2023.

  

• He appeared in the TV series Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach on Disney Hotstar as Sandeep Shinde.

• Nilu Phule and Arun Sarnaik were his favourite actors while growing up.

• He has worked with film directors like Madhur Bhandarkar, Ram Gopal Verma, Amol Palekar, Rajiv Patil, Jabbar Patel, Satish Alekar, Vinay Apte, Waman Kendre, Chandrakant Kulkarni, Anant Mahadevan, and Karupaniannan.

• In an interview, he talked about what he thinks when he chooses a script and said,
  

  When offered a script, I want to be able to utilise it in the right way. When I heard the one-liner of this show, I immediately knew that I have to be a part of it. It is one of those projects that help me justify my work. It is a fantastic story. What else can an actor ask for?”

• In 2023, he appeared as Freddy in the Bollywood film Animal. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, alongside Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Tripti Dimri.