She is one of the most sought-after actresses in Marathi cinema today, but Sai Tamhankar calls herself an accidental actor. “For me, it all changed when I did my first play, Aadhe Adhoore, for a state level competition at Sangli during my college days,” she recollects, adding, “The experience of performing on stage for the first time was so surreal that I did another play soon after. I began to enjoy acting and found the process to be extremely satisfying. Soon, good opportunities started coming my way and I bagged my first TV show while I was in college. It’s been a non-stop journey since then.”

Sai, who was shooting in Daman till recently for Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra 2, is back in Mumbai. The actress feels fortunate to be working in these uncertain times. She shares, “It gives me immense joy to be watching some amazing performances from the judge’s chair. Right now, we are all so stressed out and uncertain about things. In such times, this show is a great way to keep myself involved and, of course, stress free. It is a relief to be doing something I love, especially amid the pandemic.”

Apart from waiting for the release of her various Marathi projects, including Pondicherry, Colorphool and Medium Spicy, Sai is also set to be seen in two Bollywood films — Laxman Utekar’s Mimi and Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown.

Her India Lockdown co-star Shweta Basu Prasad had reportedly visited Mumbai’s red-light area as a part of the prep for her role as a sex-worker in the film. Ask Sai about her role, she says, “I had to work on a particular dialect. That’s all that I can say at this juncture.”

The actress is also all praises for her co-stars from both films. “Shweta (Basu Prasad) and I have a mutual admiration for each other’s work. Kriti Sanon (who she’s worked with in Mimi) is extremely cool and easygoing. She exudes a happy vibe; there’s never a dull moment when she is around. I remember she would often try to speak with me in Marathi on the sets. But one thing that I strongly relate to with Kriti is her passion for work.”

Voicing her opinion on the gender pay gap, Sai says, “Pay disparity has been there since ages now. It is wrong and there is no debating that. People have started realising it, but things will not change overnight. We need to unite and probably start a movement to work through it. Having said this, personally, I have never enquired about another artiste’s pay, but I’ve always put my foot down when it comes to the remuneration I deserve. I am also thinking of altering some of the clauses in my contract as a female artiste.”