He graduated from the
Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, and briefly worked in the hospitality industry as a chef, before shifting his focus to the entertainment industry. He then studied animation at the
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
Theatre Takalkar began his theatre career with the Progressive Dramatic Association in Pune. He won Maharashtra State Awards for Best Play and Best Director for
Yayati and
Nanephek and later for
Tu (2007). For the company’s repertory, Takalkar directed a series of productions at Sudarshan Rangmanch, an intimate 100-seat theatre in central Pune. In 2010, he was awarded the Charles Wallace scholarship to pursue a Master's degree in Theatre Practice from the
University of Exeter studying under Phillip Zarrilli. This exposure reshaped his artistic practice. Upon returning to India, he directed plays with large ensemble casts including
Comrade Kumbhakarna, written by
Ramu Ramanathan, for the
National School of Drama's repertory company. Deepa Ganesh for the Hindu wrote, “The play, intense and multi-layered, is full of signs and metaphors, weaving into its polyphonic narrative, mythology, politics and life as it were”. He later directed
Uney Purey Shahar Ek his Marathi adaptation of
Girish Karnad's English play,
Bendakaalu on Toast.
Shanta Gokhale for Pune Mirror wrote, “Mohit Takalkar walks with Karnad step for step, giving us a piece of theatre that is memorable as much for its strong conviction as for its refined stage craft”. In 2015, he directed
Main Hoon Yusuf aur ye hai Mera Bhai, a Hindustani translation of Palestinian playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi's English play
I am Yusuf and this is my brother. The critically acclaimed production swept five awards at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards(META), taking top honors including Best Play and Best Director. Critic
Shanta Gokhale reviewing for Mumbai Mirror wrote, “Followers of this director’s work are accustomed to seeing a stage design that intrigues the eye. In this case, there was just a table at the beginning and a low white ‘rock’ later, that also served as diverse seating arrangements. As the stories of the characters unfolded, the starkness of the stage became part of the meaning of the play, reflecting the fear, confusion and misery that was invading their lives”. In 2017, Takalkar directed
Chaheta, an Urdu adaptation of
The Beloved, a play originally written by Zuabi. Takalkar directed two plays for Aadyam, a theatre initiative by the
Aditya Birla Group. One of them,
Gajab Kahani, was an adaptation of
Jose Saramago’s
The Elephant’s journey. Staged in a black box, the production featured a 360 degree performance around the audience, who were seated on swivel chairs at the centre. Takalkar later directed
Mosambi Narangi, a Hindi adaptation of
Marie Jones' play,
Stones in His Pockets. The production features actors
Rajit Kapur and Ajeet Singh Palawat in a two hander performance, with each portraying over 20 distinct characters. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Takalkar directed the digital production
The Colour of Loss adapted from
Booker Prize winning author
Han Kang’s novel
The White Book. Following the post-pandemic re-opening of theatres, Takalkar devised
Hunkaro, a multilingual theatrical production adapted from
Asha Amar Dhan a short story by
Vijaydan Detha. Deepa Punjani for Mumbai Theatre Guide wrote, “Mohit's directorial sensibilities put the story and the actor first, but the design though not obvious, is palpable. The simplicity belies the more abstract”. At the 2023 Mahindra Excellence of Theatre Awards (META), Hunkaro won seven awards, including best play and best director for Takalkar. In 2023, Takalkar returned to Marathi theatre after a nine-year hiatus by directing an adaptation of Sam Steiner's, political two-hander
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons featuring
Lalit Prabhakar in the cast. Takalkar directed
Caryl Churchill’s
Love and Information for the
National Centre for the Performing Arts (India) in 2024. The play is a compilation of seven sections each with a number of scenes that range from less than a minute in length to a few minutes long. The production was staged in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Hariyanvi, and Gujarati. Next in 2024 he directed
The Nether, a sci-fi crime drama set in near future written by American playwright
Jennifer Haley. In November 2025, Takalkar directed the play
Anatomy of a Suicide by British playwright
Alice Birch for the
Prithvi Theatre Festival. The play follows three women, Carol, Anna, and Bonnie, who are revealed over the course of the narrative to be grandmother, mother, and daughter. Their stories unfold simultaneously across different timelines. The production starred Iranian actress
Faezeh Jalali, Amba Jhala, and Mallika Singh as Carol, Anna, and Bonnie, respectively. Dipanita Nath for the Indian express writes, “the latest from one of the country's finest directors, Mohit Takalkar, Anatomy of a suicide plays on a stage marked like the game of knots and crosses, conversations from one era enter another, underlining the fluidity of time in generational trauma and the play keeps the audience in its grip, engaged and involved.”
Films •
The Bright Day (2012) •
Chirebandi (2017) •
Occasional Reflection on the contingencies of life (2021) •
Medium Spicy (2022) •
Toh, ti ani Fuji (2024) In 2012, Takalkar scripted, edited, and directed his debut feature film
The Bright Day in Hindi-English which premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival. It was in competition at the
Shanghai International Film Festival,
Mumbai International Film Festival, and was showcased at the
London Indian Film Festival, Vancouver South Asian Film Festival,
Calgary International Film Festival, Indian Film Festival -The Hague. It won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Director at the South Asian International Film Festival. The film stars Sarang Sathaye,
Radhika Apte,
Rajit Kapur,
Shernaz Patel and
Mohan Agashe. Katherine Matthews for Bollyspice wrote, “The Bright Day occasionally feels staged, the dialogues occasionally stilted, but there is much in Takalkar’s film that is thoughtful, joyous and charming”. In 2017, he scripted, edited, and directed his debut non-feature in Marathi-English,
Chirebandi on the life and works of celebrated Playwright
Mahesh Elkunchwar, which was commissioned by the
Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. In 2019 he went on to direct his debut Marathi feature film,
Medium Spicy for Landmarc Films starring
Sai Tamhankar,
Parna Pethe and
Lalit Prabhakar. The film released three years later in June 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meenakshi Shedde for
Mid-Day wrote, “Takalkar’s film is a nuanced reflection on the unreliable rewards of love and marriage. It is an astute, funny, thoughtful and philosophical film about people like us, with enough romance and romantic songs to make it a rather satisfying indie film that is streets ahead of Bollywood in many ways”. The film was screened at Norway Bollywood Film Festival,
Pune International Film Festival,
Dhaka International Film Festival, River to River Florence Indian Film Festival and the Stuttgart Indian Film Festival. In June 2021, soon after the pandemic, Takalkar directed an English language experimental feature film,
Occasional Reflection on the contingencies of life shot entirely on an iPhone. It was produced by his home production, Nek Iraada Films and mostly non-actors were cast. However, the film remains unreleased. In July 2022, it was announced that Takalkar would direct his next Marathi film
Toh Ti ani Fuji (Him Her and Fuji) produced by PlatoonOne Films. The film was shot in Pune and Tokyo and stars
Lalit Prabhakar and
Mrinmayee Godbole which premiered at the
Pune International Film Festival where it won the jury mention for Prabhakar and the best screenplay award. In April 2026, Sony Pictures Networks India acquired the worldwide digital rights for the film, with an exclusive direct-to-digital release on Sony Liv scheduled for 10 April 2026. The film received generally positive reviews for its direction, writing, and performances. Writing for The Hollywood Reporter India, Rahul Desai noted, “The first ten minutes of Mohit Takalkar’s Toh Ti Ani Fuji are intoxicating. They’re right out of a ‘movie’ movie. The filmmaking evokes the kind of incomplete love story in which serendipity—a chance meeting, a second chance—reunites a former couple. The setting encourages a sense of surrender.”
Film Editing Takalkar has edited over 20 feature films which include,
Cobalt Blue,
Soyarik,
Kaasav,
Astu,
Badha,
Dithee,
Chidiya,
Nital,
Samhita among others.
Acting Takalkar was seen in
Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy as a corrupt police commissioner Rasheed Khan. Abhimanyu Mathur of the
Hindustan Times writes, "Mohit Takalkar is the other star of the show as the corrupt Police Commissioner. He makes you despise him and love his performance quite effortlessly." He played Yadunath Jungle in National Award winning Director, Nikhil Mahajan's
Raavsaheb which premiered at the
International Film Festival of India. He was seen as Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni in
Raja Shivaji the 2026 Indian historical action drama film directed by
Riteish Deshmukh, based on the life of
Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. He has appeared in films like,
Godavari,
Gho Mala Asla Hava,
CRD,
Devrai. He has stated that he takes acting roles for enjoyment rather than as a primary pursuit. == Accolades ==