Indian film industry is an umbrella under which a number of film industries co-exist. The Maratha film industry is one of them. For years the Maratha actors have enriched Indian cinema. It has been a tradition in Marathi cinema that most of the actors and actresses hail from Maratha theatre. As a result numerous Maratha actors have over the years delivered mind-blowing performances to win the hearts of the audiences.

One of the most impressive Maratha actors was Shreeram Lagoo. Known for his spontaneous acting this Maratha actor has appeared in several Maratha as well as Hindi films. He is one of those actors who began his career on stage and later moved to films. Besides him there female Maratha actors like Smita Patil also acted in Maratha films. Smita Patil bagged the Filmfare award for her performance in the film, Jait Re Jait (1978) and Umbartha (1981).

Some of the earlier female lead actors in Marathi cinema are Jayashree Gadkar. Recently the lady has been awarded the Chitra Bhushan Jivan Gavarav award for her contribution to Indian cinema. This Maratha actress has won several awards including the Nationla Awards for the films Manini, Vajainta, Sawal Maza Eika, Sadhi Manse, Pavankadhcha Dhondi. sp of her superhit Maratha films include aadhi Manase, Aliya Bhogasi, Yaala Jeevan Aise Naav, Paishacha Paus, Avaghachi Sansar; Sasar Maher, Sawal Mazha Aika, Aasi Aasavi Sasu, Aasi Mi Jayashree, Vaishkh Vanva, Vtawala Navra and others.

Another veteran actress is Asha Kale. Reema Lagoo also has appeared in Maratha films in several important roles. Besides the Maratha films she is also a known face in Hindi films.

Vikram Gokhale is the son of the legendary Maratha actor Chandrakant Gokhale. This versatile Maratha actor is also associated with Marathi theatre. Whether it is appositive role or a negative character Vikram Gokhale can portray all kinds of roles with equal ease. He is also a frequent face on Indian television. Besides the Maratha film industry Vikram Gokhale has appeared in numerous Hindi films where he played strong characters.

Neelu Phule is one of the most amazing villains that the history of Indian cinema has ever seen. This veteran actor has been acting since 1950s and is active even today. He has been a part of classic, award winning Maratha films. For Sahkar Samrat (1980) he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award. Other prominent Maratha actors are Sachin Pilgaonkar, Lakshmikant Berde, Sharad Talwalkar, Makrand Deshpande, Mohan Agashe, Sayaji Shinde, Mohan Joshi and others.

The Maratha female actors have consistently delivered powerhouse performances on screen. Actresses like Ashwini Bhave, Sonali Kulkarni, Sharvari Patankar, Aditi Sarangdhar and others are difficult to replace.

Amongst the host of Maratha actors mention must be made of Amol Palekar and Nana Patekar. While Amol Palekar is the most celebrated name of `middle of the road` cinema Nana Patekar is well known for his histrionic skills and social and political films. in the mid 1970s Amol Palekar rose to the silver screen with Hindi films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. He was the common man`s hero. In Maratha films too he played similar roles. It has been around 17 years that Amol Palekar has stoped acting yet he is remembered even today for his immortal roles. Today the veteran actor is engaged with making Maratha films.

A new crop of Maratha actors has taken then silver screen by storm. Actors like Atul Kulkarni, Shreyas Talpade, Ajinkya Deo, Subodh Bhave, Tushar Dalvi and others have taken the responsibility to take Maratha film industry to new heights. Other Maratha actors include Sandeep Kulkarni, Raj Shekhar, Bharat Jadhav, Ankush Chaudhary, Siddharth Jadhav, Lokesh Gupte, Madhura Velankar, Nirmal Pande, Ashok Saraf and others.