Happy birthday, Shivaji Satam: Tracing Marathi-Hindi actor's journey in showbiz
From stepping into the immersive world of TV through Rishte-Naate (1980) to playing India's favorite cop ACP Pradyuman for 22 consecutive years, veteran Hindi-Marathi actor Shivaji Satam has had an inimitable journey. He balanced a full-time bank officer job while simultaneously working in theater and went on to become a part of numerous notable projects. On his 73rd birthday, we revisit his journey.
Satam worked as a bank officer for 22 years!
In an interview, Satam revealed that he worked with the Central Bank for 22 years and did Marathi theater on the side. "I have been lucky to work with the best of the people and actors in the Marathi industry. I have been appreciated by lots of veteran actors in the industry. I enjoy what I do. It's been a wonderful journey," said Satam.
These were some of the earliest movies of his career
Satam had earlier credited actor Nana Patekar and actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar for pulling him into the Hindi film industry. As his work began receiving recognition, post the TV show Rishte-Naate, he went on to act in Hindi films such as Pestonjee (1988), 100 Days (1991), August (1994), Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997), Vinashak - Destroyer (1998), Hu Tu Tu (1998), and the cult-classic Vaastav (1999), among others.
Satam further climbed the success ladder, starred in commercial successes
After being noticed in the aforementioned projects, Satam received several other notable offers in mainstream commercial Hindi cinema where he essayed pivotal supporting characters. Some of his most memorable films include Sooryavansham (1999), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain (2000), Taxi No. 9211 (2006), Viruddh....Family Comes First (2005), Garv: Pride & Honour (2004), and Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), among others.
His most widely known role remains that of ACP Pradyuman
In his over four-decade-long career, Satam's most popular role has been that of ACP Pradyuman in Sony TV's long-running Hindi detective drama CID. From his iconic, "Kuch to gadbad hai Daya" dialogue to the special episodes that zoomed in on his fractured relationship with his son Nakul, Satam quickly carved a place in viewers' hearts and CID's re-runs on Sony still fetch considerable viewership.
