Makarand Deshpande, born on March 6, 1966, in Dahanu, Maharashtra, India, is a prominent Indian actor, writer, and director known for his extensive work in Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil cinema as well as Indian theatre. He began his career in film with a notable role in "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak" (1988) and has since appeared in numerous films including "Sarfarosh," "Swades," "Makdee," and "Satya." In addition to his film work, Deshpande has made significant contributions to theatre, having written and directed over 50 short plays and 40 full-length plays. He co-founded the Ansh Theatre Group in 1993 with actor Kay Kay Menon and has been involved in various acclaimed productions. Deshpande is married to writer Nivedita Pohankar since 2016 and has previously been engaged to actress Sonali Kulkarni.