Ashok Saraf (born 4 June 1947) is an Indian film and stage actor and comedian. He has appeared in many Marathi movies and stage plays in lead roles and in Hindi movies and TV serials in supporting roles. He is affectionately known as "MAMA", which in the Marathi means maternal uncle. Most of the Marathi actors and actress called him the "Samrat Ashoka" of the Marathi film industry.
In the 1980s and 90s, Saraf was considered as one of the two Marathi comedy superstars, along with actor Laxmikant Berde. His brand of comedy has been emulated by many actors and serves as a benchmark for new upcoming comedy actors in Marathi cinema. Saraf started his career in Marathi cinema since the late 1960s. In the 1970s, he frequently appeared in supporting comic roles in Marathi movies with leading actors like Dada Kondke, Nilu Phule, Ravindra Mahajani, Avinash Masurekar and Raja Gosavi. His pairing with actress Ranjana Deshmukh was popular with Marathi movie fans.
From the early 1980s, Saraf started getting cast as the leading hero in Marathi films. The combination of Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Mahesh Kothare created the "comedy films wave" in Marathi cinema from 1985 that lasted for more than a decade. His successful Marathi films as the lead hero include Ek Daav Bhutacha, Dhoom Dhadaka, Gammat Jammat, Ashi hi Banava Banavi and Vazir. Saraf has also starred in television serials like Yeh Choti Badi Baatein and Hum Paanch (as Anand Mathur).
In Bollywood, he is best remembered for the comic "Munshiji" in Rakesh Roshan's 1995 action thriller Karan Arjun, in Yes Boss as Shahrukh Khan's friend and as Ajay Devgn's colleague in Singham as head constable. In the Marathi film industry, he is popularly known as "Mama" (maternal uncle).
Ashok Saraf was born in Bombay (present day Mumbai) on 4 June 1947. He spent his childhood at Chikhalwadi in South Mumbai. He completed his schooling at DGT Vidyalay Mumbai.
He is married to actress Nivedita Joshi-Saraf. They have one son.
Ashok Saraf has been working in the film and television industry since the year 1969. He has acted in more than 250 Marathi films, out of which 100 were commercially successful. He has mostly acted in comedy films. He has played many roles in Marathi Cinema, Marathi Plays, Hindi Cinema, Marathi Television Serials and Hindi Television serials. He started his career with the Marathi movie Janaki in 1969. He then acted in the movies like Donhi Gharacha Pahuna, Jawal Ye Laju Nako, Tumacha Amacha Jamala, Chimanrao Gundyabhau, Deed Shahane, Haldikunku, Duniya Kari Salam and more during the 1970s and 1980s. He continued to work with Marathi films with Laxmikant Berde, Sachin and Mahesh Kothare. The Marathi movie moved in the different term of comedy during that phase. Ashi hi Banava Banavi , Aayatya Gharat Gharoba and Dhum Dhadaka are some of the very popular Marathi movies.
Saraf has also acted in various Marathi plays and Hindi serials. He then developed his own production house "Aniket Telefilms", which is handled by his wife Nivedita Joshi-Saraf.
Ashok Saraf survived a major car accident in the year 2012 on the Mumbai Pune Expressway near Talegaon.
| # | Released Date | Type | Credited As | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Dec 2024 | Film | Actor | Navra Maza Navsacha 2 |
| 2 | 29 Dec 2023 | Film | Supporting Actor | Tath Kana |
| 3 | 30 Dec 2022 | Film | Supporting Actor | Kadhi Ambat Kadhi Goad |
| 4 | 30 Dec 2022 | Film | Supporting Actor | Ved |
| 5 | 09 Nov 2021 | Film | Actor | Jivan Sandhya |
| 6 | 26 Apr 2020 | Film | Actor | Altun Paltun |
| 7 | 14 Feb 2020 | Film | Actor | Prawaas |
| 8 | 18 Oct 2018 | Film | Actor | Me Shivaji Park |
| 9 | 05 Oct 2018 | Film | Actor | Hrudayat Something Something |
| 10 | 28 Jul 2017 | Film | Actor | Shentimental |
