Lawyer, Dancer, Social Worker: Rajshri Deshpande a.k.a Subadhra Of Sacred Games Is As Fascinating As The Series
Updated : June 10, 2020 01:00 PM ISTFrom the small sleepy town of Aurangabad to starring in internationally acclaimed cinema and TV series, Rajshri Deshpande's journey is as fascinating as her new show on Netflix Sacred Games. From a degree in advertising to playing the fiesty Lakshmi in Angry Indian Goddesses, she is truly a woman of many talents. Balancing her on-screen commitments with a deep love for theatre and her passion for social work, Rajshri truly has no time for the silly controversies on her bold scenes.
Bold, feisty, passionate and above all exceptionally talented, here is everything you need to know about the actress playing Subadhra in sacred games, Rajshri Deshpande.
Rajshri Deshpande was born in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. She is the youngest of the three siblings and hails from a middle class family. She finished her graduation in law from Symbiosis Law College and went on to secure a masters degree in advertising and from symbiosis. Before starting her career in acting she also did job in the advertising sector. She also did a diploma in film making from Whistling Woods International in Mumbai. Now that surely makes for an impressive resume.
Hailing from a middle class family, her parents were not really happy about her decision to move from Aurangabad to Pune. Talking about her parents she said, ““I still remember the first day of my college. As soon as we entered the gate, there was a sea of students from different cities and backgrounds. Some wearing clothes shorter than my mother could even imagine, walking freely and talking to girls and boys alike. It was a cultural shock for her, but I somehow managed to comfort my mother by saying that everything is going to be just fine. Surprisingly, it was my mother who wanted me to do something different from the usual. She has been a government official and led a rather monotonous life. She wanted me to do something different, but my father, like most middle-class parents, wanted to me to become either a doctor, engineer or a lawyer.”
While most actresses try to focus on their career and stay single for as long as possible, in case of Rajshri it was exactly the opposite. Early on in her life she got married to to her childhood friend who in turn saw the the talent in her and inspired her to take on acting. It was his inspiration and support that she decided to come to Mumbai and chase her dream. She started acting school in Mumbai and soon started dabbling into theatre as well.
Apart from acting, Rajshri is a woman of many talents. She is a trained kathakali dancer and used to teavh dancing during her college years to help her with the finances. She is also trained in sword fighting and the martial art form Kalaripayattu which is an exceptionally difficult art form to master. After her initial stint in the advertising she also opened her own agency ‘Czar Content’. She also signed a contract to manage the production of the famous Motley Theatre Group.
Although made her debut with a blink and miss role in Reema Kagti’s Talaash but she soon moved on to TV and was seen in Sony’s Kuch To Log Kahenge where she played the character of Suhasini. She was also a part of 24 India and did many short films. She returned to big screen with a small role in Salman Khan’s Kick, but she was really noticed in Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Godesses. Amidst 7 girls she was especially noticed for her nuanced portrayal of a feisty house help Lakshmi.
Angry Indian Goddesses went on to win many international accolades including the 1st runner up in People’s Choice Award in Toronto International Film Festival and special accolades in Rome Film Festival. She made her Malayalam debut with Haram which was received well by the critic across board and was played the titular role of Durga in Sanal Kumar Shashidharan’s Sexy Durga which ran into many controversies, but again won many international accolades. Sexy Durga won Hivos Toger Award at Rotterdam Film Festival. She was also a part of BBC One’s Mc Mafia directed by James Watkins where she played the character of Manju. As for her upcoming works, she is playing the role of Ishmat Chugthai in Nadita Das’s Manto.
She can be presently seen in Netflix Original first Indian Production Sacred Games along with Nawazuddin Siddique, Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte. She is seen playing the character of Subhadra and has been getting a lot of critical acclaim for the same. She has also raised a lot of eyebrows for her unabashed bold scenes with Nawaz. She was recently also in news for getting trolled on the internet as people shamed her for her bold scenes. Some of her scenes with Nawauddin were also uploaded on a few adult film sites.
She has always been vocal about the concept of creative freedom and the scissor happy ways of Censor Board of India. Talking about her controversial Malayalam film Sexy Durga, she said, “Imagine this happening to a film which travelled to 50 films festivals and won prestigious awards. No one knows that I am Sexy Durga and that this is my film. My parents live in small town and they will never be able to see my work because my films will not release there. Here in cites also there are no opening for films like ours.”
Apart from being an avid actor she is also a social activist. Rajshri has adopted a village in Maharashtra named Pandhri Pimpalgaon which falls in the drought prone area of the state and started a rainwater harvesting project in the village. With the help of a couple of people from the industry she is actively working towards reviving the dead Bembla river for the locals. She is also extending her works to the neighboring villages who are also frequently hit by the droughts of Maharashtra.
Please Subscribe us OnGoogle News