Mahesh Kothare

Mahesh Kothare (Marathi pronunciation:, born 28 September 1953), is an Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter widely regarded as one of the most successful film directors and a pioneering figure in Marathi cinema. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has received multiple accolades, including six Maharashtra State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards Marathi and three Screen Awards Marathi.

He began his career as a child artist in the early 1960s, making his screen debut in the Marathi film Chhota Jawan (1963). He gained wider recognition as "Master Mahesh" through his appearances in Hindi films such as Raja Aur Runk (1968) and Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1970). As an adult, he took on lead and negative roles in Marathi films, including as an unfaithful husband in Lek Chalali Sasarla (1984), before turning to direction in the mid-1980s. He made his directorial debut with the fantasy comedy Dhum Dhadaka (1985), a major box-office success that established his signature style of blending comedy, fantasy, and action. He followed it with hits such as De Danadan (1987), Thartharat (1989), Dhadakebaaz (1990), Zapatlela (1993) and Majha Chakula (1994), and introduced several technological innovations to Marathi cinema, including CinemaScope, Dolby Digital sound, and stereoscopic 3D. As an actor, he became especially known for his recurring portrayals of police inspectors across several of these films, a persona that remained closely associated with him throughout his career.

He went on to direct further successes including Chimani Pakhar (2001), which introduced Dolby Digital sound, Pachhadlela (2004), the first Marathi film to use computer-generated imagery, and Khabardar (2005). He revived his best-known creation with Zapatlela 2 (2013), which became the first Marathi film shot in true 3D, and remains his last film directed to date. He also directed two Hindi films: Masoom (1996), a successful remake of Majha Chakula, and Lo Main Aa Gaya (1999), a remake of De Danadan that turned out to be a box-office disaster.

He is the founder of Kothare Vision, a production house he later ran alongside his son, actor-director Adinath Kothare, producing numerous successful Marathi television serials and films. In 2023, he published his autobiography, Damn It Ani Barach Kahi.

Kothare has been married to Nilima Kothare since 1980; their son, Adinath, is also an actor and director.