Amruta Khanvilkar

Khanvilkar began her career in 2004 as a contestant on one of the first reality shows on Indian television, Zee Cine Star ki Khoj, and the same year she co-starred alongside Amitabh Bhattacharjee in the Hindi short film Saanjh, presented by the Film and Television Institute of India,[7] a film which won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film on Family Welfare.[8] This led to further appearances on the television shows A.D.A and Time Bomb 9/11 in 2005.[9]

Khanvilkar made her film debut in the Marathi comedy Golmaal (2006), in which she was paired opposite Bharat Jadhav and Jitendra Joshi, and her performance was well received. In 2007, she made her Hindi film debut in Mumbai Salsa, portraying a nymphomaniac flatmate to Manjari Phadnis' character.[10] The critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama found her performance "excellent" in the film.[11] Soon after, she made small appearance in Milan Luthria's Hattrick (2007). Khanvilkar's biggest commercial success of that year was Saade Maade Teen, the remake of the 1958 Hindi film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. Her character was based on the role played by Madhubala in 1958 film, where she played a rich orphan staying with her uncle who falls in love with the garage proprietor.[12] The film earned ₹3 crore to become one of the highest grossing Marathi films of that time.[13]

In 2008, she collaborated with director Ram Gopal Verma on two films: Contract and Phoonk. Contract is an action drama film set against the backdrop of terrorism and infiltration. She played an ex-Special Protection Group commando's wife who is killed in a terrorist attack. The film got mixed reviews from critics and audiences upon release and failed commercially.[14] The next release was the supernatural horror film Phoonk, co-starring Sudeep, based on superstition and black magic, Khanvilkar's portrayal of a mature woman with a de-glamorized look was critically acclaimed. A critic approved of her effort, noting that she "comes out well as a worrying mother",[15] and Taran Adarsh called her performance "efficient".[16] She received Stardust Exciting New Face nomination and the film was declared a box office blockbuster.[17] In 2009, Khanvilkar starred in Gaiir, a big budget Marathi suspense thriller film directed by Satish Rajwade which revolves around a newly married couple. She played an NRI's daughter who marries a corporate giant (played by Sandeep Kulkarni), but she finds her husband's duplicate who is trying to harm her.[18] A review in Marathi Movie World wrote, "The Marathi film industry has got another talented actress in the form of Amruta"[19] and Prasanna Zore of Rediff.com called her, "glamorous for a change compared to her plain-Jane looks" and wrote, "Khanvilkar looks very attractive in the two songs that seem contrived to raise the glamour-quotient of the film."[20] The film generated huge box office returns.[21]

Khanvilkar's career prospects improved in 2010 when she gained widespread popularity for her Lavani performance in the song "Wajale Ki Bara" in Ravi Jadhav's film Natarang, which was sung by Bela Shende.[22] She was not the original choice for the song and entered the film a day prior to its shoot. Khanvilkar reminisced about the experience, "saying yes to 'Wajale Ki Bara' was one of the best decisions of my career."[23] The song made her famous even in the interiors of Maharashtra, reviewer Chetana Panchal described her cameo as "impressive"[24] The same year, she reprised her role as Aarti in Phoonk 2, directed by Milind Gadagkar. It was not as well-received as the first film, but Khanvilkar's work was appreciated. Sonia Chopra of sify.com noted her as "superb, especially when she’s trying to convince Rajiv of the odd goings-on in the house,"[25] Komal Nahta of Koimoi.com wrote, "she does justice to her role and is very natural"[26] and DNA's Taran Adarsh found Khanvilkar's portrayal to be "expressive enough."[27]

Khanvilkar in 2011 at an event.

In 2011, she portrayed Marathi teacher Paranajpe Bai in Sujay Dahake's Shala, based on Milind Bokil's novel of the same name.[28] Keyur Seta opined, "Khanvilkar does well, she should have been given more lines"[29] The film premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival and went on to win the Silver Lotus Award at the 59th National Film Awards. Following that, she appeared as lead in Arjun as a supportive girlfriend opposite Sachit Patil, the film received mixed reviews but did well commercially. Khanvilkar next accepted a role of a village girl opposite Ankush Chaudhari in the Zhakaas, which marked her third collaboration with Zee Talkies.[30] Chetana Panchal wrote that, "it is Amruta Khanvilkar in that typical village type but glamorous looks, invites all the attention. Her perfect accent suited to that character of Manjula has brought liveliness in every scene that she appears."[31] The film was a major success and won three Maharashtracha Favourite Kon Awards, including Favourite Actress for Khanvilkar.[32]

The following year, Khanvilkar was seen in Aditya Sarpotdar's musical Satrangi Re, a story about a group of friends in their final year of graduation who share a common passion for music. She played Alisha, who falls in love with Rego (played by Adinath Kothare) during the contest. Her next release of that year was the musical drama Aayna Ka Bayna, she portrayed dance therapist for nine talented juveniles to take part in a dance reality show. The film was highly hyped even before its release. Upon release, the film garnered a positive response from critics and the audience.[30] Khanvilkar was regarded, "perfect for the role" by The Times of India.[33] Critic Ullhas Shirke wrote, "Khanvilkar, puts up an astounding emotion filled performance..." and further noted, "Her concern for the society is clearly noticed through her body language and spontaneous expressions."[34] Another reviewer called it a, "strong performance" and concluded, "She manages to speak through expressions and is perfect during the dance sequences."[35] Her performance won her Best Actress at the CineRockom International Film Festival.

In 2013, Khanvilkar had only one special appearance in the "Dhoka Dhoka" song from the Hindi film Himmmatwala.[36]

Following a year's absence, Khanvilkar had five releases in 2015. Her first release was Baji, which was the first superhero film in Marathi. She played the daring girl who is the love interest of Shreyas Talpade's character.[37] Surabhi Redkar of Koimoi.com marked her "impressive" and stated, "Nothing challenging in her role, but she does a fine job,"[38] while The Times of India's Mihir Bhanage found that, "she displays a certain level of maturity while essaying her role."[39] The film was declared a hit at the box office. Her next release was Vikram Bhatt's first Marathi production, Ek Doosrey Ke Liye, a production that had been delayed since 2013.[40] She next appeared in Welcome Zindagi, a dark comedy about life and death that was a Marathi remake of the Bengali film Hemlock Society.[41] She portrayed a independent girl whose life is unstable and who feels ignored and betrayed in society so she thinks to end her life, but her life changes when a guy enters her life. A review in the Maharashtra Times asserted, "She perfectly embodied the wisdom that comes from training from isolation."[42]

In her next movie from the same year, she gained more recognition for her portrayal of Muslim girl Zareena, Khansaheb's daughter, in Subodh Bhave's directorial feature film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali, which was based on the play of the same name.[43] Khanvilkar's part required her to master the fine nuances of the Urdu language, which she achieved in pronunciation and diction with the help of her on-screen father, Sachin Pilagaonkar.[44] Khanvilkar's performance was widely acclaimed, with a critic, Amar Udare, calling her "a surprise package,"[45] The film was one of the most expensive movies of Marathi cinema; it was chosen as one of the 26 films to be screened in Goa at the 46th International Film Festival of India.[46] Katyar Kaljat Ghusali earned over ₹40 crores (US$6.24 million) and emerge as one of the highest-grossing Marathi films of all time and received eight Filmfare Marathi Awards, including Best Film.[47] Khanvilkar eventually was nominated for the 53rd Maharashtra State Film Awards, Filmfare Marathi Awards and Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar in Best Supporting Actress category.[48][49] Another film in which she has appeared was Aawahan, alongside Bhave and Sachin Khedekar.[50]

Khanvilkar then teamed up on the mystery drama One Way Ticket (2016) with Patil, Shashank Ketkar, and Gashmeer Mahajani. It was the first Marathi film to be shot on a cruise ship, as well as in locations such as Italy and Spain. The film got mixed reviews, but the performances were acclaimed.[51] In 2017, Khanvilkar made a small appearance as Maharani in the period war drama film Rangoon.[52] She next worked in the Hindi cineplay Baaki Itihaas (2017), which was based on the iconic Bengali play by Badal Sarcar of the same name.[53] Her final release of that year was the poorly received Bus Stop where she played a grey shade character of college going girl.[54] Critics found the film to be outdated, but Shalaka Nalawade of The Times of India said that, "breaks free from her good-girl image and plays the bindaas, gold-digger Sharayu to the T."[55]

Khanvilkar at trailer launch of Satyameva Jayate (2018).

Subsequently, Khanvilkar was recognized for her contributions to Hindi projects in 2018. In Meghna Gulzar's Raazi, she plays Alia Bhatt's Pakistani widowed sister-in-law Munira. Both reviewers and the public praised her performance.[56][57] Koimoi.com review credit her as the "eternally beautiful and does well"[58] This also marked her first feature in a Hindi film in eight years. Her next role was as the vivacious and mischievous wife opposite Manoj Bajpayee in Satyameva Jayate, directed by Milap Zaveri.[59] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare opined, "Amruta don’t have much to do really, other than looking pretty"[60] and Bollywood Hungama thought that Khanvilkar's talent was completely wasted and that’s unfortunate considering that she just gave a memorable performance in Raazi.[61] The film earned ₹1.08 billion worldwide gross.[62] She had a brief appearance in the Marathi biographical drama film Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar, where she enacted Sandhya Shantaram's role of Chandrakala from the Marathi film Pinjra (1972).[63][64] Later that year, she made her digital debut as Lady Serial Killer Lavina Birdie with the first season of web series titled Damaged opposite Amit Sial for Hungama Play, playing an unusual and path-breaking character. She was first reluctant to perform a bold character in front of the camera.[65] She read several mysterious books in preparation for her part.[66] For her portrayal critics wrote, "Amruta probably took up a mighty challenge, but by the end of the show it is hard to imagine any other actor who could have played Lovina better."[67] Another wrote, "She essays the role of the deviant Lovina so well that for one moment you can't distinguish between the actor and the character. Her role, albeit a difficult one, has her toggling through the entire gamut of emotions and she makes it seem like child's play. It's heartening to see stories like this being crafted and roles like these being taken up by such talented actors."[68]

In 2019, she made her television comeback as an actress after fourteen years with a leading role in Jeevlaga, alongside Swapnil Joshi and Siddharth Chandekar.[69] The story explore the different shades of relationships, where Khanvilkar plays an unconventional role of Kavya, who has an extramarital affair with her ex boyfriend.[70] Khanvilkar took on the role of a troubled Catholic wife of Michael Rodrigues (played by Kunal Khemu) in Mohit Suri's action thriller Malang (2020), with several critics praising her performance with fewer words but a more expressive character.[71] Malang has earned ₹84.50 crore (US$11 million) worldwide thus becoming a commercial success.[72] She received Zee Talkies Comedy Award for Best Actress for Priyadarshan Jadhav's Choricha Mamla, a situational comedy which takes place within a single night.[73] Khanvilkar was cast as a modern married woman who sings and dance and need producer to launch her album. Ajay Parchure of Lokmat wrote, "has also done her best and perfectly portrays the madness of Shraddha character."[74]

The following year, she acted in the Marathi drama Well Done Baby (2021), which depicts the narrative of a modern young couple attempting to identify the purpose of their relationship while simultaneously dealing with the arrival of a new member into their life. A Mashable critic stated, "She aces it as Meera. Her frustrations, her dilemma, her insecurities, and her urge to gain some kind of normalcy in her life are brought to the fore by Khanvilkar so immaculately."[75] The film was released directly on Amazon Prime Video.[76]

In 2022, She next portrayed Manasi as a downtrodden girl who never had the authority over her life decisions in Sachin Kundalkar's Pondicherry which was the first Marathi and one of the first Indian feature films to be shot completely on a smartphone.[77] The Times of India's Mihir Bhange described her as "a surprise package" and wrote that "her role is brief, but she does complete justice to it."[78] Suyog Zore of Cinestaan called it as her best performance till now and wrote, "does a fine job as a woman who is finding it hard to come to terms with her mistake."[79] Movie Talkies commended her screen presence and wrote, "despite that glowing face, she handles the tension on the surface very well."[80] The film received her second Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.[81]

Khanvilkar got her first titular role, as a tragic Tamasha performer in Prasad Oak's Marathi musical love drama Chandramukhi, based on Vishwas Patil's renowned novel of the same name.[82] She was Oak's first choice, but her part was kept fully secret until it was unveiled at the Royal Opera House by a 35-foot-tall cut-out dressed as Chandra.[83] She went through eight months of training to improve her language and diction while also gaining over 15 kg to fit the role.[84] The film and her performance were both anticipated and commercially successful.[85] Shubham Kulkarni of koimoi.com ascribed her hard work and her expressive eyes and wrote, "[Khanvilkar] is an actor who can do amazing work if given a good director. With a film on her shoulders, she manages to have the depth in her eyes and pain in her demeanour. She is exploited, looked at with a bad gaze, and even tried to be sold."[86] Sameer Ahire expressed his happiness for her performance-oriented role and remarked, "The first frame of her, and you can't take your eyes off the screen. How beautiful she looks, …"[87] Mihir Bhanage of The Times of India wrote, "...it is a sincere and committed performance from Amruta."[88] The view was echoed by the Cinestaan critic, Suyog Zore, saying "...the film belongs to Khanvilkar. The actress has simply poured herself into the character."[89] Chandramukhi earned her first Filmfare Marathi Award for Best Actress nomination,[81] while also winning her Dadasaheb Phalke Film Award, Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman and the second MFK Award for Favourite Actress.[90][91][92] Her next brief appearance was in the pan-Indian Marathi historical action film Har Har Mahadev alongside Sharad Kelkar.[93] The film received positive reviews, with critics praising Khanvilkar for her impressive portrayal of Sonabai.[94][95] Shaheen Irani of OTTPlay thought her brief role was more impactful than Sharad Kelkar.[96] Both of these films became the fifth and fourth highest grossing Marathi films of the year, respectively.

Khanvilkar next reteamed with Satish Rajwade in the romantic drama film Autograph – Ek Japun Thevavi Ashi Lovestory.[97] Collaborating once again with Ankush Chaudhari, she played a Malayalam girl belonging to a conservative family who falls in love with a Maharashtrian guy. The film was initially going to release in December 2022, but due to unknown reasons, it had its direct release on the Star Pravah television channel in May 2023.[98][99]

She is playing the lead in Disney+ Hotstar's series by Hansal Mehta titled Lootere opposite Rajat Kapoor.[100] On the occasion of Republic Day 2023, she announced a sports biopic on Lalita Shivaji Babar, an Indian long-distance runner from Satara district.[101][102] Also, she will be portraying the titular role in filmmaker Sanjay Jadhav's horror comedy Kalaawati, alongside Sanjay Narvekar and Tejaswini Lonari.[103][104] She will also reteam with Oak in Patthe Bapurao, a biopic based on the life of Demokratir Patthe Bapurao, a popular name in the Shaheer tradition, in which Khanvilkar will play Pawla, his wife.[105][106]