# Ranjana Deshmukh
**Ranjana Deshmukh** (रंजना देशमुख; 1955 – 3 March 2000) was an Indian actress who worked in [Marathi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/marathi-cinema) in the 1970s and 1980s under the screen name Ranjana, and whose film career ended after a car accident left her disabled.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1955 in Mumbai; 3 March 2000 in Mumbai, at age 45[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/) |
| Screen name | Known on screen simply as Ranjana[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/) |
| Film debut | *Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jaali* (1975), produced by V. Shantaram and directed by Kiran Shantaram[2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/) |
| Signature role | Chaani in *Chaani* (1977), described as her most memorable role[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/) |
| Awards | Maharashtra state government best actress award for *Are Sansar Sansar* (1980)[2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/) |
| Career end | A 1987 car accident while traveling to Bangalore for the shooting of *Zhunjar* left her permanently disabled[3](https://marathi.pratilipi.com/story/ranjana-deshmukh-by-santosh-patil-fj1hwtyst05v) |
| Family | Daughter of the veteran Marathi and Hindi actress Vatsala Deshmukh[4](https://www.tv9marathi.com/entertainment/marathi-cinema/ranjana-deshmukhs-mother-and-veteran-marathi-actress-vatsala-deshmukh-passes-away-660244.html) |
## Early life and family
Ranjana Deshmukh was born in 1955 in Mumbai[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/). She was the daughter of Vatsala Deshmukh, a well-known actress of the Marathi and Hindi film industries[4](https://www.tv9marathi.com/entertainment/marathi-cinema/ranjana-deshmukhs-mother-and-veteran-marathi-actress-vatsala-deshmukh-passes-away-660244.html), and her maternal aunt was the actress [Sandhya Shantaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandhya-shantaram), also known as Vijaya Deshmukh[5](https://wikibio.in/ranjana-deshmukh/). Growing up alongside her mother and aunt, she saw the film industry at close range, though she did not set out to become an actress in her youth[6](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/).
Her acting actually began in childhood. She appeared in *Harishchandra Taramati* at the age of five and later acted in *Ladki Sahyadri Ki*, made in both Hindi and Marathi[6](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/).
## Film career
**Debut and Shantaram films.** Ranjana entered Marathi cinema in 1975 with *Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jaali*, produced by [V. Shantaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/v-shantaram) and directed by Kiran Shantaram, and then played the leading role in V. Shantaram's *Zunj*[2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/). The film *Zunj* is credited with giving Marathi cinema a new hit pair in Ranjana and [Ravindra Mahajani](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravindra-mahajani)[7](https://www.tv9marathi.com/entertainment/do-you-know-popular-movies-of-actress-ranjana-651740.html).
Her most remembered role was as the title character in *Chaani* (1977)[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/). Her other prominent films included *Sushila*, *Gondhalat Gondhal*, *Mumbaicha Faujdar*, *Jakhmi Vaghin*, *Bhujang*, *Ek Daav Bhutacha*, and *Halad Kunku*[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/) • [2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/).
**The award-winning role.** The performance that tested her range, in the account of the Marathisrushti profile, came in *Are Sansar Sansar* (1980), opposite the actor Kuldeep Pawar. The role traced a woman's life through age: a new bride learning a hard farm household, a mother standing firm for her children after her husband's death, and an old mother-in-law struggling to keep the household intact. For this multifaceted part she received the [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra) state government's best actress award[6](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/).
**Partnership with Ashok Saraf.** Although she worked with many senior actors, her most successful screen pairing was with the actor [Ashok Saraf](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashok-saraf). Their films *Sushila* (1978), *Gondhalat Gondhal* (1981), *Gupchup Gupchup* (1983), *Bahurupi* (1984), *Binkamacha Navra* (1984), and *Khichdi* (1985) were particular hits, and Marathi cinema gained in them a new artistic pair[6](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/). In a later Radio City Marathi interview, Saraf named Ranjana as his favorite on-screen partner, calling her a fine artist and a hard worker who insisted on mastering whatever did not come easily to her[8](https://marathi.indiatimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/ashok-saraf-talked-on-his-onscreen-pair-with-ranjana-deshmukh/articleshow/120249210.cms).
She also had a friendly rivalry with the actress Usha Chavan; both were leading Marathi actresses and accomplished dancers of the 1970s and 1980s, and Chavan has described the competition between them as coexisting with a close friendship[9](https://www.esakal.com/premier/usha-chavan-talks-about-ranjana-deshmukh-competition-marathi-cinema-amk08).
She made her Marathi stage debut with the play *Fakta Ekdach*, and her credited television work was nil[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/).
## The 1987 accident and later years
At the height of her popularity, a car accident ended her film career. On the way to [Bangalore](https://www.edgepedia.org/bangalore) for the shooting of the film *Zhunjar* (also rendered *Zhanjar*), her vehicle crashed and her legs were left permanently disabled[3](https://marathi.pratilipi.com/story/ranjana-deshmukh-by-santosh-patil-fj1hwtyst05v) • [10](https://www.esakal.com/premier/ashok-saraf-never-left-ranjana-deshmukh-alone-hospital-story-marathi-cinema-amk08). The date of the accident is reported differently across sources: the Marathisrushti biographical article gives 22 November 1984, during travel for the shooting of *Zhanjar*[6](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/), the Marathisrushti person-profile and Marathi.TV place the end of her career in 1987[2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/) • [1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/), and the Hindi summary of the biographical film *Ranjana Unfold* describes the accident as occurring in 1987[11](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt22079290/plotsummary/).
She then spent roughly thirteen to fourteen years in a wheelchair[12](https://maharashtratimes.com/photogallery/entertainment/marathi-actress-ranjana-deshmukh-had-car-accident-13-years-on-wheelchair-death-on-2000-what-happened/amp_photoshow/98727395.cms) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt22079290/plotsummary/). She did not accept the end of her performing life: in 1993, at the age of 38, she acted in a play from her wheelchair[11](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt22079290/plotsummary/). Around the same period she decided to pursue a degree in Marathi literature[13](https://maharashtratimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/actress-ranjana-deshmukh-life-changed-after-accident-became-handicapped-know-unknown-facts/articleshow/132577575.cms). During her time in hospital after the accident, Ashok Saraf was a close presence; accounts from the period report that he sat outside her hospital room through the day, though her family is also said to have rebuffed him afterward[10](https://www.esakal.com/premier/ashok-saraf-never-left-ranjana-deshmukh-alone-hospital-story-marathi-cinema-amk08). She remained unmarried until her death[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/).
## Death and remembrance
Ranjana Deshmukh died on 3 March 2000 in Mumbai of heart failure, at the age of 45[1](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/) • [2](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/). The trade paper *Film Information*, in a retrospective of its issue dated 4 March 2000, recorded that the Marathi film actress passed away on 3 March at Raheja Hospital in Bombay[14](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-4-march-2025from-our-issue-dated-4th-march-2000/).
Her story has continued to draw attention decades later. A biographical film, *Ranjana Unfold*, has been announced or in preparation, and a National Award-winning director, Abhijeet Mohan Warang, was reported in 2022 to be working on a biopic of the late actress[15](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/ranjana-deshmukh-1).
## References
1. [Ranjana Deshmukh, Marathi.TV](https://www.marathi.tv/actress/ranjana-deshmukh/)
2. [देशमुख, रंजना, Marathisrushti profiles](https://www.marathisrushti.com/profiles/ranjana-deshmukh/)
3. [रंजना देशमुख, a Marathi story by Santosh Patil, Pratilipi](https://marathi.pratilipi.com/story/ranjana-deshmukh-by-santosh-patil-fj1hwtyst05v)
4. [रंजना देशमुख यांच्या आई वत्सला देशमुख यांचं निधन, TV9 Marathi](https://www.tv9marathi.com/entertainment/marathi-cinema/ranjana-deshmukhs-mother-and-veteran-marathi-actress-vatsala-deshmukh-passes-away-660244.html)
5. [Ranjana Deshmukh Wiki, Age, Death, Husband, Family, Biography, WikiBio](https://wikibio.in/ranjana-deshmukh/)
6. [ज्येष्ठ अभिनेत्री रंजना, Marathisrushti (Prime)](https://marathisrushti.in/prime/marathi-actress-ranjana/)
7. [Do you know popular movies of actress Ranjana?, TV9 Marathi](https://www.tv9marathi.com/entertainment/do-you-know-popular-movies-of-actress-ranjana-651740.html)
8. [Ashok Saraf on his on-screen pair with Ranjana Deshmukh, Maharashtra Times](https://marathi.indiatimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/ashok-saraf-talked-on-his-onscreen-pair-with-ranjana-deshmukh/articleshow/120249210.cms)
9. [Usha Chavan recalls her bond and competition with Ranjana Deshmukh, Sakal](https://www.esakal.com/premier/usha-chavan-talks-about-ranjana-deshmukh-competition-marathi-cinema-amk08)
10. [Ashok Saraf never left Ranjana Deshmukh alone during her most difficult days, Sakal](https://www.esakal.com/premier/ashok-saraf-never-left-ranjana-deshmukh-alone-hospital-story-marathi-cinema-amk08)
11. [Ranjana Unfold, plot summary, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt22079290/plotsummary/)
12. [Ranjana Deshmukh: car accident, 13 years in a wheelchair, Maharashtra Times photogallery](https://maharashtratimes.com/photogallery/entertainment/marathi-actress-ranjana-deshmukh-had-car-accident-13-years-on-wheelchair-death-on-2000-what-happened/amp_photoshow/98727395.cms)
13. [Ranjana Deshmukh: life changed after accident, Maharashtra Times](https://maharashtratimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/actress-ranjana-deshmukh-life-changed-after-accident-became-handicapped-know-unknown-facts/articleshow/132577575.cms)
14. [Flashback, 4 March 2025 (from the issue dated 4 March 2000), Film Information](https://filminformation.com/featured/flashback-4-march-2025from-our-issue-dated-4th-march-2000/)
15. [Ranjana Deshmukh, Filmography & Biography, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/ranjana-deshmukh-1)
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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 › Marathi film actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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