Saiee Manjrekar: My father has never been my shortcut

Actress Saiee Manjrekar opens up about growing up around her father Mahesh Manjrekar, sharing how his lessons in discipline, humility, and merit shaped her acting journey.

Mumbai: Actress Saiee Manjrekar, who is the daughter of veteran actor, director, and writer Mahesh Manjrekar, said that her father has always been her inspiration, but never her shortcut.

Saiee shared, “My father has always been my biggest inspiration, but never my shortcut. I remember a very straightforward chat we had when I first spoke about acting, 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.’’

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At first, Saiee agreed it felt “daunting.”

“But today, I see how important that lesson was. I learnt to face rejection, to audition with strangers, to stand in lines like everyone else, and to earn every opportunity on my own merit. It made me value every role so much more,” she said.

For Saiee, the real gift of growing up around Mahesh Manjrekar wasn’t just watching him on set, but observing the discipline, humility, and passion he carried into every project.

“On screen, my father taught me how to respect the craft. Off screen, he taught me how to respect myself, my co-workers, and the journey, even when it’s hard. He’s shown me that being an artist is not about arriving at a destination, it’s about constantly learning, evolving, and staying true to your voice,” she said.

The 23-year-old actress made her film debut with a brief appearance as Kushi Damle in the Marathi film Kaksparsh in 2012.

She did her first leading role as Khushi Chautala in the 2019 Hindi action-comedy Dabangg 3 opposite Salman Khan. In 2020, she appeared in the music video for the song “Manjha”, alongside Aayush Sharma.

In 2022, she made her Telugu film debut alongside Varun Tej in Ghani, which ended up being a commercial failure. She was next featured in the Telugu-Hindi bilingual biographical action film Major, a biopic of Sandeep Unnikrishnan in which she played the role of Isha Agarwal who is Unnikrishnan’s love interest.

She next appeared in Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay opposite Guru Randhawa. Saiee was last seen in the Telugu action drama Arjun Son Of Vyjayanthi directed by Pradeep Chilukuri.The film stars Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Vijayashanti, alongside Saiee Manjrekar, Sohail Khan, Babloo Prithiveeraj, Srikanth and R. Sarathkumar.