From a little girl sitting on her father’s lap watching the traditional folk play Zadipatti in the rice city of Gondia to becoming a dentist perfecting smiles, and now an actress lighting up the big screen — Dr. Srushti Bahekar’s story is one of passion, patience, and purpose. Today, the dentist-turned-actress is winning hearts with her Marathi film Chhabi, living proof that dreams do come true when followed with courage and conviction. Srushti remembers the spark that first drew her to performing. “When I was a kid, whenever I used to hear the Dhol Tasha, Lavani or songs, my heart used to pirouette,” she says, smiling. “Whether it was a birthday in my family or a wedding in my neighbourhood, I always joined them for the dance. At the beginning, I never had an idea that I wanted to become an actress—it was just love for dance and music.” Even at that young age, her enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed. “Looking at my passion for dance, relatives and family friends used to ask my parents to send me to Boogie Woogie,” she recalls with a laugh. But life at home had other priorities.

 

“My elder sister Samruddhi, who is no more, had an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and needed special care and attention. Because of that, it wasn’t possible for my parents to take me to any show—nor did I want to go, leaving my sister’s side,” she shares softly. Still, the dream lingered. “The thought of becoming part of ‘Boogie Woogie’ was carved deep in my heart. I was such a dance-show aficionado that I used to switch on the TV only for them,” she says, remembering how those performances silently shaped her ambition. Years later, after completing her higher secondary education at St. Paul College, Nagpur, destiny gave Srushti another fork in the road. “I got allotted two colleges—one in Nashik for MBBS and another in Mumbai for BDS through CAP rounds,” she explains. “My parents wanted me to take MBBS, but the love for dance and acting was pulling me towards Mumbai. Somehow, I convinced them and got enrolled at Dr G D Pol Foundation YMT Medical College.”

 

The early college days weren’t easy. She was torn between the rigours of dental studies and her hunger to perform. “Out of fear that if I failed in my second year my parents might call me back, I studied so hard that I topped my second year in college,” she says proudly. But the turning point came through friendship. “Having friends has been one of my biggest strengths,” Srushti says. “I got my first opportunity through a friend in the One Line Creation Theater Group, where I joined dramas like Share It and Dawat-e-Safar. Both got selected for the finals of the Atal Karandak One-Act Play competition. That was the first step of my acting career, and from there, I got the show India Ke Mast Kalandar on Sony SAB.” After the show, Srushti returned to her dental practice — but destiny, once again, had a script of its own. “One day, one of my friends who was having a toothache called me from a shooting set for help. The toothache solution that I gave him changed my whole life,” she smiles.

 

“He gave me some production and casting house contacts, and through them, I got my first serial Jai Jai Swami Samartha, where I played Devyani.” Her performance was loved by the audience, opening doors to more roles in Tumchi Mulgi Kay Karte, Karan Gunhyala Mafi Nahi, and Shiva. “While working for Shiva, I got a call for the big-screen movie Chhabi,” she says — a moment that marked her entry from television to cinema. Looking back, she feels a mix of disbelief and gratitude. “From the small city of Gondia, where I grew up admiring folk arts like Zadipatti and Tamasha, to Mumbai, where I got a chance to work with stalwarts like Makarand Deshpande and Sameer Dharmadhikari — the journey feels truly unbelievable,” she says. But for Dr Srushti Bahekar, this is just the beginning. “I’m the daughter of Vidarbha who won’t stop,” she smiles confidently. “I believe I’ve just started, picture abhi baki hai, mere dost.”