Sai Paranjpye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sai Paranjpye
Paranjpye in 2011
Born	(1938-03-19) 19 March 1938 (age 87) Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Director, Screenwriter
Spouse(s)	Arun Joglekar ​ (divorced)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Shakuntala Paranjpye (mother)
Relatives	R. P. Paranjpye (grandfather)
Awards	Padma Bhushan (2006)

Sai Paranjpye (born 19 March 1938) is a famous Indian movie director and writer. She is known for her award-winning films like Sparsh, Katha, Chashme Buddoor, and Disha. She has also written and directed many plays in the Marathi language.

Sai Paranjpye has won 4 National Film Awards and 2 Filmfare Awards. The Government of India gave her the Padma Bhushan award in 2006. This award recognized her amazing artistic talents.

Growing Up: Sai's Early Life

Sai Paranjpye was born on 19 March 1938 in Mumbai, India. Her mother was Shakuntala Paranjpye, an actress and writer. Her father was Youra Sleptzoff, a Russian artist.

Sai's parents separated when she was very young. Her mother raised her in the home of her grandfather, Sir R. P. Paranjpye. He was a well-known mathematician and educator. He also worked as India's High Commissioner in Australia from 1944 to 1947.

Because of her family, Sai grew up and went to school in many different cities. These included Pune in India and Canberra in Australia. As a child, she loved visiting her uncle, Achyut Ranade, who was a filmmaker. He would tell stories that sounded like movie scripts. Sai started writing very early. Her first book of fairy tales, Mulānchā Mewā, was published when she was just eight years old.

She later graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi in 1963. This school is famous for training actors and directors.

Sai's Career: From Radio to Films

Sai Paranjpye began her career at All India Radio (AIR) in Pune. She started as an announcer and soon joined the children's program.

Over the years, Sai has written and directed plays for both kids and adults. She has worked in Marathi, Hindi, and English languages. She has made six feature films, two children's films, and five documentaries. She has also written many books for children, and six of them have won national or state awards.

Sai also worked for Doordarshan Television in Delhi. This is a major Indian TV channel. Her first TV movie, The Little Tea Shop (1972), won an award in Iran. She was later chosen to produce the first program for Mumbai Doordarshan.

In the 1970s, Sai was the head of the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) twice. This government group works to create good entertainment for children. She made four children's films for CFSI. These included the award-winning Jādoo Kā Shankh (1974) and Sikandar (1976).

Famous Movies and TV Shows

Sai Paranjpye's first feature film was Sparsh (The Touch), released in 1980. It won five film awards, including a National Film Award. After Sparsh, she made the comedies Chashme Buddoor (1981) and Kathā (1982). Kathā was a musical comedy based on the famous story of the hare and the tortoise.

She then made the TV shows Ados Pados (1984) and Chhote Bade (1985). Sai also directed, wrote, and narrated the Marathi play Maza khel mandu de.

Her other movies include Angoothā Chhāp (1988), which was about teaching people to read. Disha (1990) showed the difficulties faced by workers who move to new places. Papeeha (1993) and Saaz (1997) were also popular. Saaz was thought to be inspired by the lives of famous Indian singers, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Her film Chakā Chak (2005) helped people learn about protecting the environment.

She also made TV shows like Hum Panchi Ek Chawl Ke, Partyana, and Behnaa.

Documentaries and Later Work

Sai Paranjpye has directed several documentary films. These include Helping Hand, Talking Books, and Capt. Laxmi. Her 1993 documentary Choodiyan won a National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues. This film was about a protest against alcohol in a small village.

In 2001, Sai made the children's movie Bhago Bhoot. In 2005, a special event in Goa showed her best movies. She also led the jury for the 55th National Film Awards in 2007.

In 2009, her documentary film Suee was released. This film was about important social issues. It was shown on Doordarshan on World AIDS Day.

In 2016, Sai released her autobiography, Saya: Majha Kalapravas, in Marathi. An autobiography is a book about a person's own life. This book became very popular. In 2020, she released the English version, A Patchwork Quilt – A Collage of My Creative Life.

Sai's Family Life

Sai was married to theater artist Arun Joglekar. They had a son named Gautam and a daughter named Winnie. Sai and Arun separated after two years but remained good friends until Arun passed away in 1992. Arun even acted in Sai's movies Sparsh (1980) and Katha (1983).

Their son, Gautam Joglekar, is now a director of Marathi films and a professional cameraman. Their daughter, Winnie Paranjpe Joglekar, works in education. Winnie acted in many of Sai's movies, plays, and TV shows in the 1980s. Winnie has two children, Abeer and Anshunee.

Awards and Recognitions

Sai Paranjpye has received many important awards for her work.

• 2006 – Padma Bhushan: This is India's third highest award for civilians, given by the Government of India.

Film Awards

Other Awards

• 2017: Maharashtra Foundation Literature and Social Work Award
• 2019: Fergusson Gaurav Puraskar: An award from her old college, Fergusson College, for being an outstanding former student.

Filmography: Movies and TV Shows by Sai Paranjpye

• The Little Tea Shop (TV 1972)
• Jadu Ka Shankh (1974)
• Begaar (1975)
• Sikander (1976)
• Dabcherry Milk Project (1976)
• Captain Laxmi (1977)
• Freedom From Fear (1978)
• Sparsh (1980)
• Chasme Buddoor (1981)
• Books That Talk (1981)
• Katha (1983)
• Ados Pados (TV 1984)
• Chote Bade (TV 1985)
• Angootha Chhaap (1988)
• Disha (1990)
• Papeeha (1993)
• Chooriyan (1993)
• Saaz (1997)
• Bhago Bhoot (2000)
• Chaka Chak (2005)
• Suee (2009)