Om Puri & Mahesh Manjrekar Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Kurukshetra; the 2010s to Oh My God. Mahesh Manjrekar director in some, actor in others. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Om Puri personally recommended Mahesh Manjrekar to director Mahesh Manjrekar (no relation) for the role of a cop in Kurukshetra (2000). Om had seen Manjrekar's Marathi work and told the director, 'He’ll bring the right menace.' That film became their first pairing.
• In Pitaah (2002), Om Puri played the stoic, weary father while Manjrekar played the loud, corrupt landlord. Manjrekar later said Om would deliberately slow down his dialogue delivery in their scenes together, forcing Manjrekar to match his rhythm — which made Manjrekar's anger feel more coiled and dangerous.
• On the sets of Tere Pyaar Ki Kasam (2002), Om Puri and Mahesh Manjrekar shared a room in a small hotel in Rajasthan because the budget was too tight for separate rooms. Manjrekar later recalled they spent nights arguing about Marathi theatre versus Hindi cinema, and Om taught him how to read a Hindi film contract.
• Mahesh Manjrekar once said in an interview: 'Om was the only actor who could make me feel like a student again. On Dabangg, he’d pull me aside and say, “Beta, you’re shouting too much. Let the silence do the work.” I still hear his voice in my head when I act.'
• Their only blockbuster together, Dabangg (2010), was also their last film together. Manjrekar played the villain Chedi Singh, and Om Puri played the hero's father. The film's massive success (140+ crores) directly led to Manjrekar being offered more mainstream Hindi villain roles — a career shift he credits to Om's on-set advice about 'keeping it real'.