Sai Tamhankar interview: The ‘Matka King’ actor on working across languages and her quest for longevity

Sai Tamhankar has been having a consistent run on Hindi OTT. In recent years, the actor has dabbled across different roles, from donning the police uniform in Bhumi Pednekar’s Bhakshak and Prime Video’s Dabba Cartel to embodying darker shades as a cunning woman in Sudhir Mishra’s Crime Beat. She was recently seen in Vijay Varma’s Matka King, where she played the wife of the protagonist,adding a sense of familiarity and rigour to the character with a mix of rare vulnerability and restrain in her performance. There’s a certainty in her eyes, an everyday charm in her being.

The journey to Hindi OTT, however, is not new for her. The actor has been working in films and television for long. She made her Hindi debut with a blink-and-miss appearance in Subhash Ghai’s Black & White and also featured briefly in Aamir Khan’s Ghajini. She has since then been a popular face in Marathi films, having starred in hits like Zapatlela 2 (2013), Duniyadari (2013), Classmates (2015) and more. Sai feels that recognition doesn’t come overnight. “It is a collective result of efforts put-in every single day. I think it is good that the journey is long, so that you can relish it, value it and be humble about it. Anything that comes fast is dangerous. One step at a time is a sign of longevity and I am all for it,” she says.