Mangesh Kulkarni

Mangesh Kulkarni pops up in some seriously iconic Bollywood flicks, and his work kind of sneaks up on you—one minute you’re just rewatching Yes Boss for the thousandth time, and boom, there he is, part of the ensemble that made ‘90s romantic comedies so ridiculously addictive. That film, with Shah Rukh Khan doing his charming-everyone act and all the chaos around ambition and love, has Kulkarni riding the waves of that classic masala energy. Then, skip ahead a few years and you get Awara Paagal Deewana, which is just pure, unfiltered early-2000s madness. I mean, that movie is basically a crash course in slapstick, over-the-top action, and those jokes that only land because the cast is absolutely committed to the bit. Kulkarni fits right in, blending with the chaos, never overshadowing the big stars, but you notice him when you’re paying attention. Fast forward to 2017 and there’s Faster Fene—now this one’s a bit different. It’s not your typical Bollywood potboiler; it’s got this sharp, detective-vibe and a plot that actually keeps you guessing. Kulkarni’s role here? He brings this grounded realness that makes the whole story click together. The movie’s got that Marathi cinema edge, more down-to-earth but still gripping. What’s cool is seeing how he shifts gears between genres and decades, never pigeonholed, always popping up where you least expect him. Not a headline-grabber, maybe, but definitely one of those faces you clock and think, “Yeah, he makes everything a bit better.”