# Manoj Joshi (मनोज जोशी) (actor)
**Manoj Joshi** (मनोज जोशी; born 1965) is an Indian actor of film, television, and stage who works in Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati entertainment, and is known for comic character roles in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) and for portraying Chanakya on stage and screen[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/). He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the Marathi film *Dashakriya* and was awarded the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri) in 2018[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/awards/) • [3](https://www.origin1-padma.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2018.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Adapodara village near Himatnagar, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/) |
| Training | Alumnus of Sir J.J. School of Arts; began his career in Marathi theater, later performing in Gujarati and Hindi theater[4](https://mitwpu.edu.in/awardee-profiles/shri-manoj-joshi-159) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/) |
| Film debut | SI Bajju in *Sarfarosh* (1999)[4](https://mitwpu.edu.in/awardee-profiles/shri-manoj-joshi-159) |
| Signature comic roles | Kachra Seth in *Phir Hera Pheri* (2006); comedies including *Hungama*, *Hulchul*, *Bhagam Bhag*, and *Bhool Bhulaiyaa*[5](https://www.iffigoa.org/public/images/MediaPdf/55th-IFFI-Catalogue_Website_Single%20page_Updated.pdf) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/) |
| National Film Award | Best Supporting Actor, Silver Lotus Award, for *Dashakriya* (2017)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/awards/) |
| Padma Shri | 2018, in the field of Art, conferred as Shri Manoj Navneet Joshi of Maharashtra[3](https://www.origin1-padma.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2018.pdf) |
| Output | Over 102 feature films across Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Malayalam industries[6](https://oacasia.org/home/past_speaker_details/613) • [7](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/entertainment/interviews/manoj-joshi-exclusive-interview-talks-about-the-up-files-movie-where-he-play-lead-role-first-time/amp_articleshow/109078080.cms) |
## Theatre beginnings
Joshi trained at the Sir J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai and entered professional theater in Marathi, later performing in Gujarati and Hindi productions[4](https://mitwpu.edu.in/awardee-profiles/shri-manoj-joshi-159) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/). His Gujarati film debut came earlier, in a supporting role in the National Film Development Corporation musical political satire *Hun Hunshi Hunshilal* (1990)[8](https://starsunfolded.com/manoj-joshi/).
The play *Chanakya* became his defining stage work. Joshi began writing it in 1986, spent four years on research, writing, and casting before it reached the stage, and played the title role himself[9](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/actor-manoj-joshi/). He won a Best Actor award from Abhiyaan Natyaspardha for the role in 1990, and another Best Actor award from the Maharashtra State Vyavasayik Gujarati Natyaspardha for *Gandhi Virudh Gandhi* in 1997[10](https://deshgujarat.com/2018/01/25/renown-gujarati-actor-manoj-joshi-to-receive-padma-shri-award/). In *Gandhi Virudh Gandhi* he portrayed Mohandas Gandhi from age 16 to 59, a role he has described as the most challenging he has played[11](https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/interviews/manojjoshi.asp). The Hindi version of *Chanakya* began performing in 1995–96 at the suggestion of the theater actor [Shafi Inamdar](https://www.edgepedia.org/shafi-inamdar)[12](https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/manoj-joshi-on-playing-chanakya-why-the-strategist-is-relevant-even-today-118022301233_1.html).
## Screen career
Joshi's Hindi film break came when director John Matthew Matthan saw him playing [Harilal Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/harilal-gandhi), son of [Mahatma Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahatma-gandhi), in a play and offered him the role of sub-inspector Bajju in *Sarfarosh* (1999)[13](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/prem-ratan-dhan-payo-actor-manoj-joshi-on-struggling-in-bollywood-my-pics-were-thrown-into-a-dustbin-in-front-of-me/story-cwJ6coseEyQglfSWEciGOJ.html). He has described the difficulty of entering films as a tagged character actor who was not a star's child; at one audition a director threw his photographs into a dustbin in front of him, after which he stopped carrying portfolio shots and auditioned with live acting instead[13](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/prem-ratan-dhan-payo-actor-manoj-joshi-on-struggling-in-bollywood-my-pics-were-thrown-into-a-dustbin-in-front-of-me/story-cwJ6coseEyQglfSWEciGOJ.html).
His screen reputation rests largely on comedy. After *Hungama*, directed by [Priyadarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyadarshan), came *Hulchul*, *Dhoom*, *Bhagam Bhag*, *Phir Hera Pheri*, *Chup Chup Ke*, *Bhool Bhulaiyaa*, and *Billu*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/). His role as Kachra Seth in *Phir Hera Pheri* (2006) remains the performance he is most popularly identified with[5](https://www.iffigoa.org/public/images/MediaPdf/55th-IFFI-Catalogue_Website_Single%20page_Updated.pdf). He has worked with Priyadarshan on around ten films[14](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/i-love-to-take-challenges-manoj-joshi_6360), and his most frequent screen collaborators include [Rajpal Yadav](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajpal-yadav), Asrani, Paresh Rawal, and [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar)[15](https://cinegraph.org/people/manoj-joshi/classic).
He has also played villains in films such as *Aan* and *Shikhar*, and taken serious and historical parts[14](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/i-love-to-take-challenges-manoj-joshi_6360). On television he appeared in serials including *Chanakya*, *Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka*, *Rau* (Marathi), *Sangdil*, and *Khichdi*, and played Chanakya again in the 2015 series *Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat*, for which he won an Indian Television Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2016[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/) • [16](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/padma-shri-manoj-joshi-i-had-to-do-senseless-roles-in-films-only-for-survival/story-7wop04k2ksGXmK8PyRwcoO_amp.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/awards/).
## Awards and recognition
The turning point in his awards record was the Marathi film *Dashakriya*, in which he played a conniving man, a marked departure from his comic image; he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for it[16](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/padma-shri-manoj-joshi-i-had-to-do-senseless-roles-in-films-only-for-survival/story-7wop04k2ksGXmK8PyRwcoO_amp.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/awards/). In 2018 the [Government of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/government-of-india) conferred the Padma Shri on him in the field of Art, listed as Shri Manoj Navneet Joshi of Maharashtra[3](https://www.origin1-padma.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2018.pdf). Earlier honors include the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Kala Akademi Gaurav Award in 2010, the Sabarkatha Ratna Award in 2014, presented by then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and a [Sangeet Natak Akademi Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/sangeet-natak-akademi-award) for his contribution to theater in 2015[10](https://deshgujarat.com/2018/01/25/renown-gujarati-actor-manoj-joshi-to-receive-padma-shri-award/) • [6](https://oacasia.org/home/past_speaker_details/613).
He has said that mainstream Bollywood award shows, which he characterized as sponsored by paan-masala companies, have never interested him, and that he does not mind their lack of recognition[17](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/padma-shri-manoj-joshi-on-not-getting-bollywood-awards-paan-masale-waale-awards-ki-mujhe-nahi-padhi/story-5dFSwxy33yeqovEZOfb1hK_amp.html).
## Institutional roles and later work
Joshi serves as a society member of the [National School of Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-school-of-drama), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture, and as Vice Chairman of CINTAA (Cine and TV Artists Association), which represents over 7,500 artists and technicians[6](https://oacasia.org/home/past_speaker_details/613). He is also vice-president of the Bombay Art Society[18](https://indianexpress.com/about/manoj-joshi/).
After more than 35 years in supporting roles across the Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Malayalam industries, he played his first lead film role in *The UP Files* (2024), as a character resembling Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath; he said he did not imitate the leader but tried to grasp the character's essence[7](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/entertainment/interviews/manoj-joshi-exclusive-interview-talks-about-the-up-files-movie-where-he-play-lead-role-first-time/amp_articleshow/109078080.cms). His recent credits include *Dream Girl 2* (2023), *Samrat Prithviraj* (2022), *Hamare Baarah* (2024), and *Madgaon Express* (2024)[15](https://cinegraph.org/people/manoj-joshi/classic). In 2026 he appeared as chief guest at the opening of the 12th International Film Festival Shimla, where he spoke publicly about surviving a stroke that left him without vision[19](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/134491600.cms).
## Family and method
His father, Navneet Joshi, was an actor, as was his younger brother Rajesh Joshi, who died in an accident in 1998; Rajesh played Bala Thakur in *Sarfarosh*, appearing alongside Manoj in that film[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/). Joshi is married to Charu Joshi[18](https://indianexpress.com/about/manoj-joshi/).
He describes his working method as neither mimicry nor method acting: he reads the script, decides the correct attitude, and portrays the character from that attitude, so that no two of his characters resemble each other[11](https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/interviews/manojjoshi.asp). Trained as a painter, he says that when preparing a difficult role he first paints the character in his mind, which resolves many doubts before performance[7](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/entertainment/interviews/manoj-joshi-exclusive-interview-talks-about-the-up-files-movie-where-he-play-lead-role-first-time/amp_articleshow/109078080.cms). He has also translated [Vijay Tendulkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijay-tendulkar)'s play *Ghashiram Kotwal* from Marathi into Gujarati[8](https://starsunfolded.com/manoj-joshi/).
## References
1. [Manoj Joshi Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/bio/)
2. [Manoj Joshi Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259084/awards/)
3. [Padma Awards Notification 2018, Government of India](https://www.origin1-padma.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/notifications/PadmaAwards/2018.pdf)
4. [Shri. Manoj Joshi, MIT-WPU Awardee Profile](https://mitwpu.edu.in/awardee-profiles/shri-manoj-joshi-159)
5. [55th IFFI Catalogue, IFFI Goa](https://www.iffigoa.org/public/images/MediaPdf/55th-IFFI-Catalogue_Website_Single%20page_Updated.pdf)
6. [Manoj Joshi speaker profile, OAC Asia](https://oacasia.org/home/past_speaker_details/613)
7. [Manoj Joshi interview on The UP Files, Navbharat Times](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/entertainment/interviews/manoj-joshi-exclusive-interview-talks-about-the-up-files-movie-where-he-play-lead-role-first-time/amp_articleshow/109078080.cms)
8. [Manoj Joshi Biography, StarsUnfolded](https://starsunfolded.com/manoj-joshi/)
9. [अभिनेते मनोज जोशी, MarathiSrushti](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/actor-manoj-joshi/)
10. [Renown Gujarati Actor Manoj Joshi to receive Padma Shri award, DeshGujarat](https://deshgujarat.com/2018/01/25/renown-gujarati-actor-manoj-joshi-to-receive-padma-shri-award/)
11. [Interview With Manoj Joshi, Mumbai Theatre Guide](https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/interviews/manojjoshi.asp)
12. [Manoj Joshi on playing Chanakya, Business Standard](https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/manoj-joshi-on-playing-chanakya-why-the-strategist-is-relevant-even-today-118022301233_1.html)
13. [Manoj Joshi on struggling in Bollywood, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/prem-ratan-dhan-payo-actor-manoj-joshi-on-struggling-in-bollywood-my-pics-were-thrown-into-a-dustbin-in-front-of-me/story-cwJ6coseEyQglfSWEciGOJ.html)
14. [I love to take challenges: Manoj Joshi, India Forums](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/i-love-to-take-challenges-manoj-joshi_6360)
15. [Manoj Joshi, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/manoj-joshi/classic)
16. [Padma Shri Manoj Joshi interview, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/padma-shri-manoj-joshi-i-had-to-do-senseless-roles-in-films-only-for-survival/story-7wop04k2ksGXmK8PyRwcoO_amp.html)
17. [Manoj Joshi on not getting Bollywood awards, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/padma-shri-manoj-joshi-on-not-getting-bollywood-awards-paan-masale-waale-awards-ki-mujhe-nahi-padhi/story-5dFSwxy33yeqovEZOfb1hK_amp.html)
18. [Manoj Joshi, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/about/manoj-joshi/)
19. [Actor Manoj Joshi sets Shimla film fest buzzing, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/134491600.cms)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1990s–2000s › Surnames symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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