Sunil Shetty & Mahesh Manjrekar Movies Together List — 9 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s account for 67% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Kaante; the 2010s to Enemmy. Mahesh Manjrekar actor in some, director in others. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Mahesh Manjrekar didn't just act with Sunil Shetty — he directed him in 'Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav' (2005). That film was Manjrekar's first Hindi directorial venture, and he specifically wrote the lead role for Shetty, tailoring the comic timing to Shetty's deadpan style.
• In 'Kaante' (2002), Shetty and Manjrekar played bank robbers who distrust each other. Their scenes crackle because Manjrekar, a trained theatre actor, would deliberately slow his dialogue delivery to throw off Shetty's rhythm — forcing Shetty to react in real time, not on cue. Shetty later said that tension made the distrust feel real.
• Shetty and Manjrekar are close friends off-screen. Manjrekar has said Shetty was the first person from Bollywood to welcome him when he moved from Marathi cinema to Hindi films in the early 2000s. They still hang out regularly, and Manjrekar often jokes that Shetty is the only actor who lets him eat his lunch mid-scene without complaining.
• Their collaboration in 'Dus Kahaniyaan' (2007) — a multi-starrer anthology — directly led to Manjrekar casting Shetty in his Marathi film 'Lalbaug Parel' (2010). That film marked Shetty's debut in Marathi cinema, opening the door for other Bollywood stars to cross over into regional language films.