Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 29, 2020)

Sachin Pilgaonkar has spent over five decades years in showbiz, having started right from the age of four as a National Award-winning child artiste. Naturally, the actor-director is privy to a lot of changes the industry has gone through over the years. “Change is the only permanent thing in this world, and in the industry, it has been for the better and worse; it can’t be one way. You are on a highway driving, is only your side of the road busy and not the other? It has to be both ways,” Pilgaonkar quips.

What does he make of the nepotism and outsider-insider debate? He says all this would be discussed before too, just not in the same terms. “We all had to go through this, including me, who is not a star’s son. That does not mean I lost confidence in what I am. I started off as a child actor, then became director and writer, too... I’m here to learn. The only difference is earlier I’d learn from my seniors; now I’m learning from my juniors,” he shares.

What hasn’t changed, however, is the fast pace of the industry, and how fates change every Friday. Pilgaonkar, who has been a part of both Hindi and Marathi cinema, says he has seen it all happen.

“I am a very observant guy. Every Friday, the guests at film industry’s parties would change. I’ve seen that with my own eyes. It’s not hidden from anybody in the industry. Everyone has a good and bad day, one has to be prepared for that... When we look at the world and see what is going on, it’s nobody’s fault... Even now (amid the pandemic) people who are dying, it’s not their fault. These things happen. We are human beings; we have to face it. Compared to all that, our industry’s so called calamities, mishap, flops, failures are too small,” says the 63-year-old.

There's no 'tu tu main main' at this actors' homestead. Instead it's dad, mom and daughter's fortress of support
Udita Jhunjhunwala (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 20, 2016)

Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar protectively flank their 26-year-old daughter Shriya on the couch in their Andheri home. Supriya has returned from the shoot of her daily soap Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, while Shriya is ramping up for the release of her first Hindi film. It's the kind of banter you expect between friends — after all, Supriya was only 21 years old when she became a mother. She met her future husband, 11 years her senior, on the sets of her first film Navri Mile Navryala.

So what was it like growing up in a home with such accomplished parents? "I was aware, but it was not overwhelming. We are simple people essentially, so it was not a filmy household. I knew my parents were great at what they did and loved their work. I had been to film sets and there was always that conversation. But they were good parents — they were always there. They balanced their work and parenthood beautifully," says Shriya. "The only time I felt a little awkward was when Tu Tu Main Main was at its peak."

The next time her parents' professional commitment stressed Shriya out was in 2005, when Sachin and Supriya partnered up for Nach Baliye — and won! "Whenever Shriya, as a child, participated in any function or event, Supriya went along as her guardian. But during all the episodes of Nach Baliye, Shriya was there as our guardian," says actor-producer-director Sachin. Shriya adds, "I was stressed out of my mind. I had seen how hard they worked. And when they won, I had tears in my eyes. But they were tears of relief. I was so glad it was over!" Shriya made her big screen debut in 2013 in Ekulti Ek, a Marathi film directed by and co-starring her father. Watching Shriya on stage in a play entitled Freedom of Love, Sachin spotted a spark, and decided to pitch the idea of a father-daughter story to Shriya. "The first thing she said was, 'I would like to read the script'. Being our daughter, it was evident she would do such a thing. That was the only thing I did with her, and not for her."

She went on to act in the French film Un + Une and now makes her entry into Bollywood. Out in the professional world, Shriya doesn't reveal her antecedents unless asked and, like many hopeful girls, auditioned for for an upcoming film, unbeknownst to her parents. "I get stressed out when she goes for auditions," says mother Supriya. "As an actor, I didn't have to struggle much. I do the work that comes to me. Here she is going to ask for work and that too, through auditions."

The parents say they did not have an inkling that Shriya was attracted to acting nor did they encourage her to follow in their footsteps. "I always wanted to see what she wanted to do. She was a competitive swimmer — she represented Maharashtra state. She was doing well in her Sociology course at Xavier's College. She only started showing signs of becoming an actor after graduation," says Sachin. The Geet Gaata Chal and Nadiya Ke Paar actor admits that while he was surprised by her interest, he was also supportive. "Because I know she will do whatever she does with seriousness. She is not fickle, like her mother. In this way she is more like me."

Married for 30 years, Sachin and 'Super', as he refers to his wife, share a mutual respect as parents and professionals and bicker about typical issues: he leaves his things lying around; she puts them in different places and he cannot find them. "If she tells me one thing, I remember it for life; but even after 30 years, I have been unable to get her to change her habit of leaving the bedroom door open," says Sachin. Shriya listens to her parents' quibbles and mutters, "This is all so boring and predictable!" Supriya recalls a time when they were shooting for Tu Tu Main Main. "I like to pull his leg sometimes." Sachin interrupts, "One day, she told the unit that they should make a resolution to start shooting at 7 am and pack up by 2 pm. She made everyone sign that paper and sent it to me. She told the production manager not to tell me that she has done it. But she forgot that I can recognise her handwriting, because it's the same handwriting in which she used to write love letters to me."

Performance and the stage are in Shriya's genes. And while Supriya ensured that her only child stayed grounded, in reality Shriya's path was predestined. "I believe you understand whether you want to do something or not if you enjoy the hard work. When I was on stage I had the thought that this is where I am supposed to be." As a child Shriya often visited her parents on their sets. But as a swimmer she had short, cropped hair, a look she says her parents took advantage of. "They were so mean. Because I had short hair they made me play the neighbourhood boy Bittu on the show, who would ask for some achaar or something."

In a household with three busy working members, when do the Pilgaonkars find time for each other? "At any given point in time we are in touch with each other through our phones. Our WhatsApp family group is called 'Besties'," says Supriya. "Trekking in Himachal was one of our favourite trips together. Last year all three of us we went to America for the fall colours." Sachin adds, "When together, we share stories, poetry, we laugh a lot and Shriyu and I are serious foodies too."

Last year, Sachin reinvented himself in the role of classical singer Khansaheb Aftab Hussain Bareliwale in Katyar Kaljat Ghusali, a part that earned him much acclaim. The 58-year-old actor says, "After I became an adult hero, I was in a zone. Then suddenly in 2013 I get this film. I had to get out of one zone — of having a hero image — and went into a different zone to reinvent myself. One can get stuck in one's own mindset." Shriya was overwhelmed watching her father's transformation and found observing a fellow artiste's process exciting. "I feel ambitious enough to think that I can be as multi-talented as my father," she adds.

While her parents have never imposed their views on her, Shriya has learnt plenty through observing their demeanour. "From him, I have learnt the art of listening as an actor and the art of communicating as a director. I have learnt to respect everyone on set, from the spotboy to the producer. The only thing they have ever told me is do whatever you want do to with conviction, and have a good time."