Shivaji Satam

Shivaji Satam is known for his impactful performances in films such as Andhaa Yudh (1987), China Gate (1998), Daag: The Fire (1999), Baaghi (2000), Fiza (2000), Uttarayan (2004), and Dil Dosti Etc (2007). Employed with Central Bank before he got a break in films, he was also involved in theatre. Making an impact in Pestonjee (1988), he has approximately 70 films to his credit including Zidd (1980), 100 Days (1991), Ghayaal (1993), and Ghulam-E-Musthafa (1997), though he is possibly most popular for his role in the TV series CID, in which he featured as ACP Pradyuman. His performance as ACP Pradyuman in the crime drama won him the Best Actor award at the Gold Awards 2012. Among the other awards he has received are Best Actor in a lead Role for CID at the 2002 Indian Telly Awards, the Maharashtra State Film Awards Best Actor honour for the film Ek Hoti Vadi (2001), and the Maharashtra State Film Awards Best Actor for the play Dhyani Mani. 

Born on 21 April, 1950, in Deogadh, Maharashtra, he graduated in Physics and followed it up with a Diploma in Business Administration. Securing a job as a bank cashier in the Central Bank of India, his fondness for theatre saw him pursuing his interest alongside his bank job. He won attention for his acting talent when he participated in an inter-bank stage competition. Spotted by Bal Dhuri, veteran Marathi theatre actor, he was offered to substitute in one of his plays, which is how his tryst with acting began. He earned a break in films with the Marathi musical drama Sangeet Varad.

He went on to feature in a slew of films in both Hindi and Marathi language cinema, making a mark with his impressive performances. In the Mahesh Manjrekar directed action crime drama Vaastav, he played the supporting role of Namdev Shivalkar, father of Raghu (Sanjay Dutt). He delivered one of his career-best performances in the film which was said to be based on the life of Mumbai underworld gangster Chhota Rajan. 

Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain (2000), directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, saw him play Gangaram (Govinda)’s father, while Nayak: The Real Hero saw him essay father to Rani Mukerji’s character. His sometimes tough and sometimes soft demeanour in the latter, an S. Shankar directorial, won him attention. Ghulam-E-Mustafa, which was headlined by Nana Patekar and Raveena Tandon in the lead roles, saw him play the role of Dayanand Dixit, earning him accolades and praise. His acting was one of the highlights of the 2008 Marathi-language comedy-drama De Dhakka, which was based on the English film Little Miss Sunshine. 

In the 1999 action-drama-thriller Daag: The Fire, he played Municipal Commissioner Satyaprakash, the upright father of Karan Singh (Sanjay Dutt), who is falsely accused and prosecuted by a shrewd lawyer Ravi Verma (Chandrachur Singh) who is supported by his father in law Singhal (Raj Babbar). 

He played a character named Mr Sawant in the Khalid Mohammed directorial Fiza. The film starred Karisma Kapoor as the eponymous lead, and Hrithik Roshan who plays her terrorist brother, with Jaya Bachchan cast as their mother. The film was a success, winning positive reviews for its storyline and soundtrack, as well as cast performances. 

In Viruddh… Family Comes First (2005) he played a character named Bharucha in a film that revolved around an ordinary 60+ couple, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore, who are forced to search for their faith in human values and society after the death of their only son Amar (John Abraham). The film depicts the most testing struggle of their lives. 

Among the Marathi films he featured in, he played Anna Gurav in the 2010 film Haapus, who is terror personified in Wanarwadi, in the picturesque Konkan. Known for his command over astrology, he is however at loggerheads with Ajit (Subodh Bhave), his only son who has developed a new variety of mangoes. 

He played the central role of Raghuveer in Uttarayan (2004), a captivating adaptation of Jaywant Dalvi's Marathi play, Durgi. The character was that of a widower in his 50s, who comes to live with his computer engineer son Sanjay (Akshay Pendse). He meets his childhood friend Babu Borkar (Viju Khote) and during their conversations they reminisce about Kusumavati a.k.a. Durgi (Neena Kulkarni), Raghu's first love. Raghu manages to obtain Durgi's address and goes to meet her. Durgi is lonely after her marriage fell apart because her husband was a drunkard and a womaniser. Raghu and Durgi resume their old friendship and slowly a strong bond develops between them. Raghu thinks about proposing marriage to Durgi, but needs to gather enough courage to pop the question. There are also the other factors such as whether Durgi will accept a proposal at their age, and finally, whether Raghu's son will approve of the marriage. 

Shivaji made his debut on the small screen with the show Rishte-Naate in 1980, following which he appeared in the series Famous Trials of India in 1988. He also featured in the popular Marathi TV series Ek Shunya Shunya, directed by B P Singh. He became a household name with the successful series CID, in which he played the character ACP Pradyuman. His portrayal of the ACP, in one of the longest running TV shows in India, achieved widespread popularity, also inspiring many funny memes on the internet. His regular dialogues such as ‘Kuch toh gadbad hai’ (Something is fishy), ‘Daya, darwaza tod do’ became (Daya, break the door), and ‘Tumhe toh faansi hogi, Fansi’ remain popular.