Shriya Pilgaonkar
Verified Macro Creator — Streaming & FilmActor; also a director and producer of short films
Daughter of two actors who trained as a competitive swimmer, went to Harvard summer school to learn directing, and then became one of the most dependable leads in Indian streaming — Mirzapur, Guilty Minds, Taaza Khabar.
About Shriya Pilgaonkar
Shriya Pilgaonkar was five years old the first time she was on television, playing a boy called Bittu in Tu Tu Main Main — the sitcom her mother was starring in. She is the only child of Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar, which in Indian television terms is roughly the equivalent of being born backstage. She did not go straight into it. As a child she trained as a competitive swimmer and collected medals through school; she studied at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai; and in 2012 she went to Harvard for summer school, which is where she started making her own short films. She directed Painted Signal and Panchgavya, and co-directed and edited Dresswala with Siddharth Joglekar — an official selection at the 2012 Mumbai Film Festival. The acting caught up in 2013. Her father wrote, directed and produced the Marathi film Ekulti Ek and offered her the lead. She told him she did not want a favour; he told her he was not stupid enough to invest resources without reason. The performance won her the Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Debut. She then worked with the Oscar-winning French director Claude Lelouch on Un plus une, and made her Hindi debut in 2016 in Fan opposite Shah Rukh Khan. What actually changed things was streaming. In 2018 she played Sweety Gupta opposite Ali Fazal in Mirzapur, a series that became a phenomenon. Then Nimmo in Bhangra Paa Le, a social media influencer in The Gone Game, and a RAW agent in Crackdown, both in 2020. 2022 gave her four releases and her best notices. As Advocate Kashaf in Guilty Minds she drew critical acclaim — NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee called her performance mesmerising — and as the investigative journalist Radha in ZEE5's The Broken News she was repeatedly singled out as the show's centre. In 2023 she played Madhubala in Taaza Khabar opposite Bhuvan Bam, which won her the ITA Award for Best Actress in a Comedy on OTT, and took Filmfare OTT nominations for Guilty Minds and the film Ishq-e-Nadaan. Dry Day followed opposite Jitendra Kumar. In 2025 she played a police officer in Chhal Kapat and Rukmini, the founder of a mandala cult, in Netflix's Mandala Murders — a run that has made her, in Scroll.in's phrase, one of the most dependable actors in Indian web series. She has endorsed Rin, Vivel and Mom's Magic, the last alongside her mother. Her Instagram, @shriya.pilgaonkar, has 995,000 followers across 3,190 posts, and carries three words of Sanskrit — तत् त्वम् असि — and two of English: 'perpetually wonderstruck'. Sources: English Wikipedia (biography, filmography, awards and critical reception, accessed August 2026); her verified Instagram profile (follower count read on 15 August 2026); official platform channels for the linked trailers. Photos: Bollywood Hungama and other Wikimedia Commons contributors, under CC BY 3.0 and CC BY-SA licences.
Career Journey
Harvard summer school, and short films
Before acting professionally she made her stage debut in a ten-minute play at the NCPA's Short and Sweet Festival, and went to Harvard for summer school — which led her to direct the short films Painted Signal and Panchgavya, and to co-direct and edit Dresswala, an official selection at the 2012 Mumbai Film Festival.
Ekulti Ek, Claude Lelouch, and Fan
Her father cast her in the Marathi film Ekulti Ek, which won her the Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Debut. She then worked with Oscar-winning French director Claude Lelouch on Un plus une, and made her Hindi film debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Fan.
Mirzapur, and the streaming years
As Sweety Gupta opposite Ali Fazal in Mirzapur she had her breakthrough. House Arrest followed in 2019, and in 2020 she played Nimmo in Bhangra Paa Le, an influencer in The Gone Game and a RAW agent in Crackdown.
Guilty Minds, Taaza Khabar and an ITA Award
Advocate Kashaf in Guilty Minds and journalist Radha in The Broken News brought her best reviews; Madhubala in Taaza Khabar won her the ITA Award for Best Actress in a Comedy on OTT. Chhal Kapat and Netflix's Mandala Murders followed in 2025.
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FAQs
Who is Shriya Pilgaonkar?
Shriya Pilgaonkar, born 25 April 1989 in Mumbai, is an Indian actor and the only child of actors Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar. She debuted in the Marathi film Ekulti Ek (2013) and is known for Mirzapur, Guilty Minds, The Broken News, Taaza Khabar and Mandala Murders.
What awards has Shriya Pilgaonkar won?
The Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Debut for Ekulti Ek, and the ITA Award for Best Actress in a Comedy on OTT for Taaza Khabar. She has also been nominated at the Filmfare OTT Awards for Guilty Minds and the film Ishq-e-Nadaan.
How can brands work with Shriya Pilgaonkar?
Through her verified Instagram account @shriya.pilgaonkar. She has previously endorsed Rin, Vivel and Mom's Magic — the last alongside her mother, Supriya Pilgaonkar — and has appeared in campaigns with Shahid Kapoor and Vikrant Massey. No management email is publicly listed.
Latest News
She played a police officer in Chhal Kapat and Rukmini, a cult founder, in Netflix's Mandala Murders in 2025, after winning the ITA Award for Best Actress in a Comedy on OTT for Taaza Khabar.
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