# Sagarika Ghatge (सागरिका घाटगे)
**Sagarika Ghatge** (सागरिका घाटगे; born 1986) is an Indian actress, model, and former national-level field hockey player, best known for her debut role as hockey player Preeti Sabarwal in the 2007 Bollywood film *Chak De! India*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). She later became a fashion entrepreneur as co-founder of the apparel brand Akutee[2](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/fashion/sagarika-ghatge-on-life-after-chak-de-india-and-entrepreneurship-true-luxury-is-about-the-story-behind-it-101784192974573.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) |
| Breakthrough role | Preeti Sabarwal in *Chak De! India* (2007), her acting debut[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) |
| Athletic background | Former national-level hockey player; also swam and ran track at school[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/sagarika-ghatge-zaheer-khan-marriage-relationship-fashion-9226569/lite/) |
| Reality television | Contestant and finalist on *Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi* season 6 (2015)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) |
| Marriage | Married cricketer Zaheer Khan on November 23, 2017; engagement announced April 24, 2017[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) • [4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sagarika-ghatge) |
| Fashion venture | Co-founder of Akutee, a brand of bespoke, hand-painted apparel, with her mother Urmila Ghatge[5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/new-launches/2023/nov/20/it-is-a-slow-understated-quiet-luxury-we-talk-to-sagarika-ghatge-about-her-latest-fashion-venture-ak-55252.html) |
| Family background | Descendant of the royal family of Kolhapur through Shahu Maharaj; her father's family is the former royal family of Kagal[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/) |
## Early life and family
Sagarika Ghatge was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, to Vijay Ghatge and Urmila Ghatge, and lived there until the age of eight[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). She then moved to Ajmer, Rajasthan, to attend Mayo College Girls' School, a boarding school, and completed her graduation at H.R. College of Commerce & [Economics](https://www.edgepedia.org/economics) in Mumbai[6](https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/beginner-39-s-luck/cid/1318314).
She has one brother, Shivjeet Ghatge[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). Her father's name has led to frequent mistaken identification as the daughter of actor [Vijayendra Ghatge](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijayendra-ghatge), who is in fact a distant relative[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/).
Sports ran through her upbringing. She played hockey at the national level and also swam, rode horses, and ran track at school, alongside dramatics and plays[6](https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/beginner-39-s-luck/cid/1318314) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/sagarika-ghatge-zaheer-khan-marriage-relationship-fashion-9226569/lite/).
## Acting career
**Debut.** Ghatge's entry into films was unplanned. While studying in Mumbai, a close friend working at [Yash Raj Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/yash-raj-films) recommended her for the role of Preeti Sabarwal in Shimit Amin's *Chak De! India*, then in casting; despite no prior acting or modeling experience, she was called for a screen test and offered the part[6](https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/beginner-39-s-luck/cid/1318314). She had not even auditioned in the usual sense and was facing the camera for the first time[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2009/sagarika-ghatge-interview-070909.html). Her parents required her to complete her graduation before joining films[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Im-determined-focussed-Sagarika/articleshow/2285459.cms).
The 2007 film, in which she appeared alongside [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan) as a member of the Indian women's hockey team, was a critical and commercial success and made her nationally known[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). As a result of the role, she became a representative for Reebok[9](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/sagarika-ghatge.html).
**Later films.** Her second film, the thriller *Fox* (2009), with [Sunny Deol](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunny-deol) and [Arjun Rampal](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-rampal), came two years after her debut; she played a lawyer, with most of her scenes opposite Rampal[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2009/sagarika-ghatge-interview-070909.html) • [10](https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/2009/sep/03/slide-show-1-interview-with-sagarika-ghatge.htm). She followed with *Miley Naa Miley Hum* (2011) and her first lead role opposite [Emraan Hashmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/emraan-hashmi) in *Rush* (2012)[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sagarika-ghatge). She entered regional cinema with the Marathi film *Premachi Goshta* (2013), directed by Satish Rajwade, and the Punjabi film *Dildariyaan* (2015)[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sagarika-ghatge).
In 2015 she competed in the sixth season of the reality show *Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi* and reached the final[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). She returned to [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) after more than two years with the eco-thriller *Irada* (2017), playing a journalist alongside [Naseeruddin Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/naseeruddin-shah) and [Arshad Warsi](https://www.edgepedia.org/arshad-warsi)[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/sagarika-ghatge-after-irada-you-will-get-to-see-me-more/articleshow/57206741.cms). In 2019 she moved to the digital space as ACP Sakshi Ranjan in *BOSS: Baap of Special Services*[12](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/sagarika-ghatge-know-lesser-known-facts-career-and-love-story-of-chak-de-india-actress-2025-01-08).
In a 2017 interview, Ghatge attributed the sparse filmography after her debut to her own choices rather than rejection: *Chak De!* happened when she was about 20 and unsure whether she wanted to study further, and she signed few films in the years that followed[13](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2017/sagarika-ghatge-exclusive-interview-personal-life-under-wraps-nothing-to-do-with-slut-shaming-253830.html).
## Akutee and entrepreneurship
Ghatge co-founded the fashion brand Akutee with her mother Urmila Ghatge. The brand makes bespoke, hand-painted apparel, including [handloom saris](https://www.edgepedia.org/handloom-sari) painted by her mother, and draws on the understated style of the women of the Ghatge family[5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/new-launches/2023/nov/20/it-is-a-slow-understated-quiet-luxury-we-talk-to-sagarika-ghatge-about-her-latest-fashion-venture-ak-55252.html) • [14](https://india.entrepreneur.com/women-entrepreneur/actress-sagarika-ghatge-on-akutee-i-want-to-make-our/477116). She has described its aim as making traditional design and timeless beauty accessible, and has framed the brand's aesthetic as slow, understated luxury[5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/new-launches/2023/nov/20/it-is-a-slow-understated-quiet-luxury-we-talk-to-sagarika-ghatge-about-her-latest-fashion-venture-ak-55252.html) • [14](https://india.entrepreneur.com/women-entrepreneur/actress-sagarika-ghatge-on-akutee-i-want-to-make-our/477116).
## Personal life
Ghatge announced her engagement to cricketer [Zaheer Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/zaheer-khan) on April 24, 2017, and the two married on November 23, 2017[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sagarika-ghatge) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/). Off screen, she has been involved in advocacy for women's empowerment and the promotion of sports in India[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/).
## References
1. [Sagarika Ghatge – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2469366/bio/)
2. [Sagarika Ghatge on life after Chak De! India and entrepreneurship, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/fashion/sagarika-ghatge-on-life-after-chak-de-india-and-entrepreneurship-true-luxury-is-about-the-story-behind-it-101784192974573.html)
3. [Sagarika Ghatge on Zaheer Khan's fashion, Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/sagarika-ghatge-zaheer-khan-marriage-relationship-fashion-9226569/lite/)
4. [Sagarika Ghatge topic page, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/sagarika-ghatge)
5. [It is a slow, understated, quiet luxury: Sagarika Ghatge on Akutee, Indulge Express](https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/new-launches/2023/nov/20/it-is-a-slow-understated-quiet-luxury-we-talk-to-sagarika-ghatge-about-her-latest-fashion-venture-ak-55252.html)
6. [Beginner's luck, Telegraph India](https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/beginner-39-s-luck/cid/1318314)
7. ["After Chak De anything else is glam" – Sagarika Ghatge, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2009/sagarika-ghatge-interview-070909.html)
8. [I'm determined & focussed: Sagarika, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Im-determined-focussed-Sagarika/articleshow/2285459.cms)
9. [Sagarika Ghatge Biography, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/sagarika-ghatge.html)
10. [Chak De girl gets Fox-y!, Rediff Movies](https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/2009/sep/03/slide-show-1-interview-with-sagarika-ghatge.htm)
11. [Sagarika Ghatge: After 'Irada', you will get to see me more, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/sagarika-ghatge-after-irada-you-will-get-to-see-me-more/articleshow/57206741.cms)
12. [Sagarika Ghatge: lesser-known facts, career and love story, Amar Ujala](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/sagarika-ghatge-know-lesser-known-facts-career-and-love-story-of-chak-de-india-actress-2025-01-08)
13. [Exclusive: Sagarika Ghatge on personal life under wraps, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2017/sagarika-ghatge-exclusive-interview-personal-life-under-wraps-nothing-to-do-with-slut-shaming-253830.html)
14. [Actress Sagarika Ghatge on Akutee, Entrepreneur India](https://india.entrepreneur.com/women-entrepreneur/actress-sagarika-ghatge-on-akutee-i-want-to-make-our/477116)
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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*
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