Kulkarni was born on 17 October 1932, in Ambejavalge,
Barshi taluka,
Solapur district. After studying at Sulakhe High School, he moved to
Pune and joined
S P College. During college, he befriended actors
Shrikant Moghe and
Sharad Talwalkar. Once done with his education, he joined All India Radio's Pune station, working as an assistant to the renowned author
Vyankatesh Madgulkar. Kulkarni began his stage career with the play
Jwalet Ubhi Mee, produced by the Progressive Dramatic Association. As film roles started coming his way, he left his job at AIR to pursue acting full-time. == Personal life ==