# Rajshri Deshpande
**Rajshri Deshpande** (born 1982) is an Indian actress and activist known for performances across Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, and English-language film and television, and for founding the Nabhangan Foundation, a rural-development nonprofit working in drought-affected [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) • [2](https://nabhanganfoundation.org/about-us) She came to wider notice as Laxmi, a housemaid, in Pan Nalin's *Angry Indian Goddesses* (2015), played the title role in [Sanal Kumar Sasidharan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanal-kumar-sasidharan)'s *S Durga* (2017), portrayed Subhadra in Netflix's *Sacred Games* and the Urdu writer [Ismat Chughtai](https://www.edgepedia.org/ismat-chughtai) in Nandita Das's *Manto* (2018), and won major awards for playing Neelam Krishnamoorthy in the Netflix limited series *Trial by Fire* (2023).[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) • [4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982; raised in a farming family in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) • [5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html) |
| Breakout role | Laxmi, a housemaid, in *Angry Indian Goddesses* (2015), after small parts in *Talaash* (2012) and *Kick* (2014)[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) |
| Festival recognition | Title role in *S Durga* (2017), which won the Hivos Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) |
| Signature television roles | Subhadra in *Sacred Games* (2018–19); Neelam Krishnamoorthy in *Trial by Fire* (2023)[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) • [4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html) |
| Awards for *Trial by Fire* | Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series; Best Actress (Series) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) |
| Nonprofit work | Founded the Nabhangan Foundation in 2018; its village projects have included more than 200 toilets, a school, and rainwater harvesting[2](https://nabhanganfoundation.org/about-us) • [6](https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/sacred-games-actress-helped-build-200-toilets-a-school-and-a-canal-in-maharashtra-village-who-is-rajshri-deshpande-her-education-qualifications-and-career/articleshow/134406085.cms) |
| Health | Diagnosed in 2026 with Grade 1 Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, and underwent surgery[7](https://thefederal.com/films/rajshri-deshpande-interview-breast-cancer-art-life-trial-by-fire-actor-healthcare-238017) |
## Early life and path to acting
Deshpande grew up in the [Marathwada](https://www.edgepedia.org/marathwada) region of Maharashtra, in [Aurangabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurangabad) and Nanded, in a family of farmers. An industrial zone took the family farm, and her father was forced to work as an accountant; she has described her parents as believing that education was the way out of poverty.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html) She moved to Pune for higher study, where accounts differ on the subject: a [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) profile says she went to study law, while an Indian Express interview says she shifted to Pune to study advertising.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) In Pune she worked at an advertising agency in client servicing and then ran her own agency, which began on a tea stall and moved to a garage and then a proper office.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/)
In 2009, after a period of depression, she left the business and moved to Mumbai to pursue performance. She worked backstage with [Naseeruddin Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/naseeruddin-shah)'s theater group Motley and in the groups of [Manav Kaul](https://www.edgepedia.org/manav-kaul) and others, and later enrolled at the Whistling Woods film school.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) • [5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html) Her acting had begun earlier in Marathi theater in Aurangabad, in Kamlesh Mahajan's group, and continued in experimental and parallel theater with Mohit Takalkar in Pune.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/)
## Acting career
**Early roles.** After rejections and small parts in *Talaash* (2012) and *Kick* (2014), and television appearances in *[Kuch Toh Log Kahenge](https://www.edgepedia.org/kuch-toh-log-kahenge)* (2012) and *24: India* (2013), she was noticed as Lakshmi in *Angry Indian Goddesses* (2015).[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) She also played a double role, an actress and her nude double, in the Malayalam film *Haram* (2015), a part she obtained while learning [Kathakali](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathakali) and [Kalaripayattu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalaripayattu) at Kerala Kalamandalam.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/)
**Festival and streaming work.** She played the female protagonist in Sasidharan's *S Durga* (2017), originally titled *Sexy Durga*, a film whose title drew censor-board objection but which won the Hivos Tiger Award at [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) and the Golden Apricot Award at the Yerevan International Film Festival.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) In 2018 she appeared as Manju in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) crime drama *McMafia*, created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, and as Subhadra, the wife of [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://www.edgepedia.org/nawazuddin-siddiqui)'s gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, in Netflix's *Sacred Games*, a role she entered only in the fourth episode but which drew wide attention.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) In Nandita Das's *Manto* (2018), which premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, she played the Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai, gaining weight for the part; Chughtai's grandson told her she resembled the writer.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) • [8](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-doors-are-opening-for-actors-like-me-but-change-is-happening-at-a-slow-pace/story-Bnnzf9Kz1t2CdrbgKTYlLJ_amp.html)
**Trial by Fire and after.** In the 2023 Netflix limited series *Trial by Fire*, based on the book by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy about the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire, Deshpande played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, a mother who loses her two children and begins a legal battle. She has called it her most challenging role, changing her weight and gait for the part.[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html) The performance won her the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series and the Best Actress (Series) award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) In 2024 she played the social reformer [Savitribai Phule](https://www.edgepedia.org/savitribai-phule) in the Marathi film *Satyashodhak*, which was made tax-free in Maharashtra and brought her a 2025 NDTV Best Actress award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/) In 2025 she appeared as Pratibha Sen in Netflix's *Black Warrant* and as Naina Johri in the Prime Video series *Rangeen*.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/rajshri-deshpande-opens-up-on-how-breast-cancer-diagnosis-was-a-wake-up-call-im-glad-that-god-and-my-parents-love-gave-me-another-chance-to-live-i-want-to-do-more/amp_articleshow/133338536.cms) Her 2026 Marathi film *Baapya*, directed by Sameer Tewari, casts her as Shailaja (later Shailesh) in a trans-identity story set in coastal Dapoli.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/)
Deshpande has spoken about the scarcity of substantial roles for women, saying that after *Trial by Fire* she did not receive good scripts and that women past 35 get few memorable parts.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html) She has also described being typecast in sequence: first told she was too fair to play a village girl, then offered rural characters and housemaids, and after *Sacred Games* approached for bold roles.[10](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-when-i-was-running-an-advertising-company-i-could-sell-almost-anything-now-i-can-t-sell-myself-as-an-actor/story-frWtL9Pub6nqpujwoisaFN.html)
## Nabhangan Foundation and social work
Deshpande founded the Nabhangan Foundation in 2018, a not-for-profit organization for rural development and community building based in Maharashtra; the name combines *Nabha* (sky) and *Angan* (courtyard).[2](https://nabhanganfoundation.org/about-us) The organization adopted villages including Pandhari and Math Jalgaon, introducing rainwater harvesting and rebuilding schools and toilets.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) Reporting on its work in Pandhari credits the foundation with more than 200 toilets, a school, and a canal, and with the construction of a pucca building for the Zilla Parishad Primary School.[6](https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/sacred-games-actress-helped-build-200-toilets-a-school-and-a-canal-in-maharashtra-village-who-is-rajshri-deshpande-her-education-qualifications-and-career/articleshow/134406085.cms) • [11](https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/lesson-from-rajshri-23213025) Her motivation traces to childhood summers in villages of Marathwada and to watching her family struggle through drought.[12](https://www.healthshots.com/she-slays/rajshri-deshpande-interview-on-social-work-in-villages/) After the 2015 Nepal earthquake she traveled to Nepal to work with an international NGO, and in 2015 she adopted the drought-prone village of Pandhari, organizing rainwater harvesting, toilets, health checkups, and an eco-sensitive school.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/)
## Health and recent years
In early 2026 Deshpande disclosed that she had been diagnosed with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma (NOS), a Grade 1 breast cancer, detected through a routine check after she found a lump; she underwent surgery and was awaiting radiation therapy.[7](https://thefederal.com/films/rajshri-deshpande-interview-breast-cancer-art-life-trial-by-fire-actor-healthcare-238017) • [13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/health/early-detection-gave-me-a-fighting-chance-rajshri-deshpande-opens-up-about-breast-cancer/amp_articleshow/129508212.cms) She has described the diagnosis as a wake-up call about stress, including the strain of her social work, and afterward enrolled in a course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/rajshri-deshpande-opens-up-on-how-breast-cancer-diagnosis-was-a-wake-up-call-im-glad-that-god-and-my-parents-love-gave-me-another-chance-to-live-i-want-to-do-more/amp_articleshow/133338536.cms)
## References
1. [Rajshri Deshpande, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5423482/)
2. [About us, Nabhangan Foundation](https://nabhanganfoundation.org/about-us)
3. [Sacred Games actor Rajshri Deshpande: I am not a fantasy character, The Indian Express (July 31, 2018)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/im-not-a-fantasy-character-rajshri-deshpande-5283795/)
4. [Rajshri Deshpande, 43, says she didn't get good scripts after Trial by Fire, Hindustan Times (May 14, 2026)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-43-says-she-didnt-get-good-scripts-after-trial-by-fire-indian-cinema-101778766272987.html)
5. [The shape shifter: A Wknd interview with Rajshri Deshpande of Trial by Fire, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/shape-shifter-a-wknd-interview-with-rajshri-deshpande-of-trial-by-fire-101674903180950.html)
6. [Sacred Games actress helped build 200 toilets, a school and a canal in Maharashtra village, The Economic Times](https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/sacred-games-actress-helped-build-200-toilets-a-school-and-a-canal-in-maharashtra-village-who-is-rajshri-deshpande-her-education-qualifications-and-career/articleshow/134406085.cms)
7. [Rajshri Deshpande interview: How breast cancer changed the way the actor sees life, The Federal (April 8, 2026)](https://thefederal.com/films/rajshri-deshpande-interview-breast-cancer-art-life-trial-by-fire-actor-healthcare-238017)
8. [Rajshri Deshpande: Doors are opening for actors like me, but change is happening at a slow pace, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-doors-are-opening-for-actors-like-me-but-change-is-happening-at-a-slow-pace/story-Bnnzf9Kz1t2CdrbgKTYlLJ_amp.html)
9. [Rajshri Deshpande opens up on how breast cancer diagnosis was a 'wake up call', The Times of India (August 19, 2026)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/rajshri-deshpande-opens-up-on-how-breast-cancer-diagnosis-was-a-wake-up-call-im-glad-that-god-and-my-parents-love-gave-me-another-chance-to-live-i-want-to-do-more/amp_articleshow/133338536.cms)
10. [Rajshri Deshpande: When I was running an advertising company, I could sell almost anything, Hindustan Times (September 2, 2020)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/rajshri-deshpande-when-i-was-running-an-advertising-company-i-could-sell-almost-anything-now-i-can-t-sell-myself-as-an-actor/story-frWtL9Pub6nqpujwoisaFN.html)
11. [Lesson from Rajshri, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/lesson-from-rajshri-23213025)
12. [Rajshri Deshpande: Social work is not any easier for a celebrity, HealthShots (April 5, 2023)](https://www.healthshots.com/she-slays/rajshri-deshpande-interview-on-social-work-in-villages/)
13. [She found a lump, but waited 6 months: How this actress caught cancer just in time, The Times of India (April 17, 2026)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/health/early-detection-gave-me-a-fighting-chance-rajshri-deshpande-opens-up-about-breast-cancer/amp_articleshow/129508212.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, 2010s onward › Surnames symbols to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license