Urmilla Kothare

Urmilla Kothare (née Kanetkar; pronounced [ʊr.mɪ.l̪a koː.t̪ʰaː.ɾe]; born 4 May 1986) is an Indian actress and dancer who primarily works in Marathi films and television. She is known for her performances in both leading and supporting roles in mainstream productions.

Trained in Kathak and holding a Master's degree, she began her acting career with the Marathi daily soap Tuzyavina (2003–2004). She made her film debut with Shubha Mangal Saavadhan, followed by a few brief roles before appearing in the Hindi television shows Maayka (2007) and Mera Sasural (2008). She earned widespread acclaim in 2011 for her performances in Mala Aai Vhhaychy!, where she portrayed a surrogate mother, and Dubhang, in which she played a loving wife; the former earned her the Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar. She went on to appear in several commercial successes, including the romcom Duniyadari (2013), the love story Pyaar Vali Love Story (2014), and the romantic drama Ti Saddhya Kay Karte (2017)—all of which featured her in supporting roles. For Duniyadari, she received the MFK Award for Favourite Supporting Actress. In 2013, she reprised her Mala Aai Vhhaychy! role in its Telugu remake Welcome Obama.

Kothare continued to earn critical acclaim for her leading roles in Anvatt (2014) as a conflicted wife, Baavare Prem He (2014) as a bibliophile, Kaakan (2015) as a wealthy young girl, and Karaar (2017) as an emotionally troubled, infertile woman. She made her web series debut in 2018 with the thriller Breathe, and later appeared in two well-received Marathi web shows, RaanBaazaar and Athang (both in 2022). That same year, she returned to television with Tuzech Mi Geet Gaat Aahe. Her recent film appearances include Ekda Kaay Zala (2022) and Autograph (2023).

Beyond her acting career, Kothare also runs a dance academy in Mumbai called NitryaAsha. She is married to actor-director Adinath Kothare, and the couple has a daughter.