Ashwini Kalsekar

Ashwini Kalsekar is an Indian actress who has worked in the Marathi and Hindi television and film industries. She completed her B.A. in Mumbai and graduated in 1991.

After completing her studies, she started theatre from 1991 to 1994, during which she was under the mentorship of actress Neena Gupta (1992 - 1993) to upskill her acting skills. From 1992 to 1995, she also trained under a theatre acting coach, Mohammed Vakil.

Kalsekar made her debut on TV with Shanti (1994) and was next seen in C.I.D. (1998), a popular TV show where she played the role of a cop, Inspector Asha.

She then bagged the lead role in the comedy serial Mr Gayab (1999), directed by Suhas Kadav, which also starred Sourav Chakraborty. Her role as Shalaka Catwoman in Shaktimaan (1997), a superhero serial, made her popular, especially among kids, as the Indian Catwoman.

She also played popular roles as Jigyasa Walia in Ekta Kapoor's Kasamh Se (2006). The role got her the Indian Television Academy Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role, the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role, and other major awards.

Kalsekar also played the role of Sikka Thakuriaan in Episode #1.252 (2012) and was a judge in the Marathi reality show Fu Bai Fu (2009) in 2013. Her other popular roles include playing Maham Anga in Jodha Akbar (2013) and playing an evil witch, Saudamini, in Kavach... Kaali Shaktiyon Se (2016).

For her role in Jodha Akbar, Kalsekar got critical acclaim and major awards like the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role, the Zee Gold Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role, and other major awards.

She has appeared in OTT series like Chargesheet - The Shuttlecock Murder (2019), along with Anupam Gahoi, which was featured on Zee5. Kalsekar also appeared in the Hotstar Specials show Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022), along with stars like Ajay Devgn, Raashi Khanna, and Esha Deol.

Kalsekar's film career has been quite noticeable, as she has worked with big names and banners like Rohit Shetty, Ram Gopal Varma, and Sriram Raghavan. In 1996, she entered the film industry with the Marathi film Tula Jhapar La. In 2003, she appeared as an intelligence officer in the movie The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003).

Other popular Bollywood performances include Khakee (2004), directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and the movie Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005). She then appeared in Apaharan (2005), Johnny Gaddaar (2007), starring Dharmendra and Rimi Sen and Golmaal Returns (2008), starring Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, and Arshad Warsi.

In 2010, Kalsekar's top performances included Rakta Charitra (2010), in which she played the role of Inspector Ashwini. She also appeared in Golmaal 3 (2010) starring Mithun Chakraborty, Ajay Devgn, and Kareena Kapoor.

Kalsekar made her Tollywood debut in the movie Badrinath (2011), in which she played the role of Sarkar's wife.

She has also been a part of Singham Returns (2014), where she plays the character of TV journalist Meera Shori. In 2015, she got the role of Detective Joshi in Badlapur (2015). Kalsekar was next seen in Golmaal Again (2017), Andhadhun (2018) and Simmba (2018).

She also appeared in a comical role as Ashwini in Laxmii (2020), Bade Pandit's Wife in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022), and Shakuntala Devi in Cirkus (2022).

Kalsekar married Murli Sharma (2009 - present), a film and TV actor.