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A Patchwork Quilt: A Collage of My Creative Life
Director of the cult 1980s film Chashme Baddoor and critically acclaimed movies such as Sparsh and Saaz; seasoned Marathi theatre personality; winner of three National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards; recipient of the Padma Bhushan - Sai Paranjpye has many feathers in the patchwork quilt of her creative life.
Sai started her career at All India Radio, later graduating from the National School of Drama and making her way into theatre, television, documentaries and movies, working with some of the most highly regarded names of the Hindi film world. She met with success in the world of books too, her Marathi translation of Naseeruddin Shah's memoir winning her the Sahitya Akademi award in 2019.
Frank, forthright, full of anecdotes and written with a flair for recounting her multifarious journey in lively detail, A Patchwork Quilt is Sai Paranjpye's memoir that looks back on a life well lived.
Sai started her career at All India Radio, later graduating from the National School of Drama and making her way into theatre, television, documentaries and movies, working with some of the most highly regarded names of the Hindi film world. She met with success in the world of books too, her Marathi translation of Naseeruddin Shah's memoir winning her the Sahitya Akademi award in 2019.
Frank, forthright, full of anecdotes and written with a flair for recounting her multifarious journey in lively detail, A Patchwork Quilt is Sai Paranjpye's memoir that looks back on a life well lived.
- GenresMarathi
384 pages, Paperback
Published November 26, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 20, 2023
When I think of Sai Paranjpye, it is with a smile on my face. Whether it is the memory of her films like Chashme Buddoor or Sparsh; or her television serials like Ados Pados, they were stories one could relate to. So, when I came across Sai Paranjpye’s memoirs on my last trip to India, I picked it up on a whim.
The Patchwork Quilt is just that – a patchwork of memories - of her life, marriage, motherhood, travels, plays, films – and the persons and personalities she met along the way. Having kept a diary throughout her life, she has dates and details at her fingertips.
Paranjpye was a ‘born gypsy’, she writes, and not just in her travels through her childhood and teenage years. She also flitted from medium to medium much to her mother’s disapprobation. But these meanderings give us a glimpse of a life lived to the fullest. Her journey traverses radio, theatre, television, and films - she writes about her time at the National School of Drama, All India Radio, the Film and Television Institute of India, Doordarshan, and Children’s Film Society. She even assigns a chapter each to each of her films.
The book sparkles with her impish humour, especially when she chronicles the various ‘jugaad’ she had to adopt to get her films made. She talks about her failures with the same blunt honesty as she mentions her various successes. With the benefit of distance, she also looks objectively at her films and plays, shouldering the responsibility for her failures just as much as she – justifiably – takes credit for the successes.
Paranjpye is as forthright in her writing as she is in real life. She doesn’t hold her punches. In the chapter, Sparsh, for instance, she talks about how difficult it was to find a producer until Basu Bhattacharya stepped in. Unfortunately, what she had considered a boon turned out otherwise.
She’s equally forthright about her own culpability – Sparsh was originally supposed to star Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja. The latter had driven Paranjpye around to meet several people who might be able to help produce the film, introduced her to several others. But when Kumar stepped out of the film and Naseer stepped in, the heroine changed too. Paranjpye rues that she didn’t have the courage to tell Tanuja directly and simply ghosted her.
She talks admiringly about all her actors and how committed they were to the films, but what’s even more heart warming is Paranjpye’s admiration for the technicians she has worked with, whether it is for her radio plays, the theatre or films. Each chapter details their contributions in detail, as it does the contributions of her various friends and acquaintances who stepped in to help in myriad ways, major and minor, including the residents of the chawl who welcomed them into their homes in Katha, and then offered their belongings as props in the film and the mill workers who gave up their ‘gala’ for Disha.
Her anecdotes, even the unpleasant ones, are narrated simply and forthrightly. There’s no malice intended, even towards people who have treated her badly. The ‘This is the way it is’ attitude is refreshing, to say the least.
Written in Marathi (Saya: Maza Kalapravas) and then translated into English, A Patchwork Quilt is not for the faint of heart – it runs into a whopping 452 pages. But as I read her memoirs, I was cocooned in the warmth of my own memories, not just of her films or serials, but also that of my childhood and of the places I had been, and the people I had met. Suffice it to say that I still have a smile on my face. Dip into this book, when and where you will, and I guarantee it will bring a smile to yours.
The Patchwork Quilt is just that – a patchwork of memories - of her life, marriage, motherhood, travels, plays, films – and the persons and personalities she met along the way. Having kept a diary throughout her life, she has dates and details at her fingertips.
Paranjpye was a ‘born gypsy’, she writes, and not just in her travels through her childhood and teenage years. She also flitted from medium to medium much to her mother’s disapprobation. But these meanderings give us a glimpse of a life lived to the fullest. Her journey traverses radio, theatre, television, and films - she writes about her time at the National School of Drama, All India Radio, the Film and Television Institute of India, Doordarshan, and Children’s Film Society. She even assigns a chapter each to each of her films.
The book sparkles with her impish humour, especially when she chronicles the various ‘jugaad’ she had to adopt to get her films made. She talks about her failures with the same blunt honesty as she mentions her various successes. With the benefit of distance, she also looks objectively at her films and plays, shouldering the responsibility for her failures just as much as she – justifiably – takes credit for the successes.
Paranjpye is as forthright in her writing as she is in real life. She doesn’t hold her punches. In the chapter, Sparsh, for instance, she talks about how difficult it was to find a producer until Basu Bhattacharya stepped in. Unfortunately, what she had considered a boon turned out otherwise.
She’s equally forthright about her own culpability – Sparsh was originally supposed to star Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja. The latter had driven Paranjpye around to meet several people who might be able to help produce the film, introduced her to several others. But when Kumar stepped out of the film and Naseer stepped in, the heroine changed too. Paranjpye rues that she didn’t have the courage to tell Tanuja directly and simply ghosted her.
She talks admiringly about all her actors and how committed they were to the films, but what’s even more heart warming is Paranjpye’s admiration for the technicians she has worked with, whether it is for her radio plays, the theatre or films. Each chapter details their contributions in detail, as it does the contributions of her various friends and acquaintances who stepped in to help in myriad ways, major and minor, including the residents of the chawl who welcomed them into their homes in Katha, and then offered their belongings as props in the film and the mill workers who gave up their ‘gala’ for Disha.
Her anecdotes, even the unpleasant ones, are narrated simply and forthrightly. There’s no malice intended, even towards people who have treated her badly. The ‘This is the way it is’ attitude is refreshing, to say the least.
Written in Marathi (Saya: Maza Kalapravas) and then translated into English, A Patchwork Quilt is not for the faint of heart – it runs into a whopping 452 pages. But as I read her memoirs, I was cocooned in the warmth of my own memories, not just of her films or serials, but also that of my childhood and of the places I had been, and the people I had met. Suffice it to say that I still have a smile on my face. Dip into this book, when and where you will, and I guarantee it will bring a smile to yours.
August 24, 2025
Sai Paranjape’s Patchwork Quilt opens with the weight of lineage—a world of privilege and intellectual abundance. Her grandfather, India’s first High Commissioner to Australia, and her mother, Shakuntala, an audacious spirit who defied convention, set the stage for Sai’s story. In fact, as I read the opening chapter, I found myself more captivated by Shakuntala than by Sai herself—a woman who married a Russian in France, had a child, and separated within two years, a narrative almost unthinkable for a Marathi family of that era.
Yet, privilege in Paranjape’s world is not arrogance—it is liberation. Those who rise above society’s gaze often stop seeking its approval. At first, however, I misread Sai. The early chapters gave the impression of self-assurance bordering on self-regard. “What had she done to earn such poise?” I wondered. But as the book unfolded, my skepticism softened into admiration. Behind the comfort of privilege lay unrelenting effort. Paranjape hustled at every stage, carving her identity not merely as the daughter of an accomplished mother but as a writer, AIR presenter, producer, and director of remarkable range.
What I found missing—and perhaps deliberately so—was the woman behind the professional persona. Sai herself acknowledges this reticence, choosing to reveal only fragments of her private life. Yet one can’t help but wish for more: not just the creator of Sparsh or Chashme Baddoor, but Sai the person.
The book’s final chapters are its richest. Here, Paranjape moves from memoir to craft, offering glimpses into her cinematic and theatrical worlds. Her accounts of Sparsh and Chashme Baddoor—the latter a sheer delight that had me laughing aloud—are both affectionate and unsparing. She does not hesitate to call out those who wronged her, and there is courage in that clarity. Her style is conversational, unadorned, almost as if one were hearing her think aloud, which lends the book a rare intimacy.
Parallel to reading, I revisited her films—Sparsh for its quiet sensitivity, and Chashme Baddoor. I discussed Sparsh with my mum for whom it had been a beloved companion in her youth. Watching it alongside the memoir added texture; even its rough edges—poor audio, unpolished editing—felt like part of the story, an echo of Basu Bhattacharya’s legendary frugality.
As a reading experience, Patchwork Quilt is an unconventional yet engaging choice—neither entirely confessional nor strictly formal, but stitched with moments of candor and charm. I would rate it a 3.5/5, a warm prelude to my next literary journey: Naseeruddin Shah’s And Then One Day.
Yet, privilege in Paranjape’s world is not arrogance—it is liberation. Those who rise above society’s gaze often stop seeking its approval. At first, however, I misread Sai. The early chapters gave the impression of self-assurance bordering on self-regard. “What had she done to earn such poise?” I wondered. But as the book unfolded, my skepticism softened into admiration. Behind the comfort of privilege lay unrelenting effort. Paranjape hustled at every stage, carving her identity not merely as the daughter of an accomplished mother but as a writer, AIR presenter, producer, and director of remarkable range.
What I found missing—and perhaps deliberately so—was the woman behind the professional persona. Sai herself acknowledges this reticence, choosing to reveal only fragments of her private life. Yet one can’t help but wish for more: not just the creator of Sparsh or Chashme Baddoor, but Sai the person.
The book’s final chapters are its richest. Here, Paranjape moves from memoir to craft, offering glimpses into her cinematic and theatrical worlds. Her accounts of Sparsh and Chashme Baddoor—the latter a sheer delight that had me laughing aloud—are both affectionate and unsparing. She does not hesitate to call out those who wronged her, and there is courage in that clarity. Her style is conversational, unadorned, almost as if one were hearing her think aloud, which lends the book a rare intimacy.
Parallel to reading, I revisited her films—Sparsh for its quiet sensitivity, and Chashme Baddoor. I discussed Sparsh with my mum for whom it had been a beloved companion in her youth. Watching it alongside the memoir added texture; even its rough edges—poor audio, unpolished editing—felt like part of the story, an echo of Basu Bhattacharya’s legendary frugality.
As a reading experience, Patchwork Quilt is an unconventional yet engaging choice—neither entirely confessional nor strictly formal, but stitched with moments of candor and charm. I would rate it a 3.5/5, a warm prelude to my next literary journey: Naseeruddin Shah’s And Then One Day.
September 14, 2023
Sai Paranjpye is one of my favourite film directors. Chashme Baddoor, Katha and Sparsh are forever etched in my mind and I do watch these movies again and again whenever I get a chance. These movies reflect the simpler times, a proof that entertainment need not be showy.
I was excited to read her memoirs because of the love for these movies and for me, Sai was always an enigma.
Her life is a revelation from the word go. I knew that she was of mixed parentage (her father is a Russian) but nothing else apart from that. Her maternal Grandfather was a prominent mathematician, Wrangler Paranjpye. Her mother was also an actor and writer. One of the memorable movies she worked was in Duniya Na Mane, by V Shantaram.
Sai was brought up in Pune, under the strict and watchful eye of her mother. Her creative side was nurtured so much that she published her book of children's stories at the tender age of 8. She has worked in various mediums, radio, tv, theatre and films in various capacities. It was amazing to read about her experience in children's theatre, specially knowing some of them went on to become celebrated actors, like Suhas Joshi.
The book is replete with memories, anecdotes, detailed behind the scenes of her plays and movies. It would have been a treat to watch all of her old works but sadly most of them have been wiped off.
Sai is an excellent narrator and story teller and her memoirs reflect the fact. So many times I just wanted to bunk work and keep on reading. Some of the descriptions are so tantalizing, like her experience with Tamasha and the description of a sunny day in Paris. How she chose Milind Gunaji for her movie Papeeha, was absolutely fantastic.
It's an exquisite treat throughout and though the book is 400+ pages, not a moment felt boring or tedious.
I was excited to read her memoirs because of the love for these movies and for me, Sai was always an enigma.
Her life is a revelation from the word go. I knew that she was of mixed parentage (her father is a Russian) but nothing else apart from that. Her maternal Grandfather was a prominent mathematician, Wrangler Paranjpye. Her mother was also an actor and writer. One of the memorable movies she worked was in Duniya Na Mane, by V Shantaram.
Sai was brought up in Pune, under the strict and watchful eye of her mother. Her creative side was nurtured so much that she published her book of children's stories at the tender age of 8. She has worked in various mediums, radio, tv, theatre and films in various capacities. It was amazing to read about her experience in children's theatre, specially knowing some of them went on to become celebrated actors, like Suhas Joshi.
The book is replete with memories, anecdotes, detailed behind the scenes of her plays and movies. It would have been a treat to watch all of her old works but sadly most of them have been wiped off.
Sai is an excellent narrator and story teller and her memoirs reflect the fact. So many times I just wanted to bunk work and keep on reading. Some of the descriptions are so tantalizing, like her experience with Tamasha and the description of a sunny day in Paris. How she chose Milind Gunaji for her movie Papeeha, was absolutely fantastic.
It's an exquisite treat throughout and though the book is 400+ pages, not a moment felt boring or tedious.
March 26, 2025
What a person and what a life! An auteur in a true sense, the worlds she created in her films are filled with so much charm and thoughtful humour. And it makes sense since she’s a brilliant writer to boot. This golden book is filled with scores of anecdotes from all her years of creativity from theatre to radio to Doordarshan to all the brilliant movies. There are separate chapters for each of her movies and they are filled with humour and wonderful nuggets. The chapters can be read in different order as well. So glad to have met her and get my copy signed. I will always cherish her sensitive portrayal of everyday people. If I could I would happily live in a Sai Paranjpye movie forever.
October 13, 2022
A multicolored life. Born to noted author and social worker Shakuntala Paranjpye and Russian artist Youra Sleptzoff and granddaughter of acclaimed mathematician, R.P. Paranjpye, Sai started her career at AIR. Children's theater, training at NSD under Ebrahim Alkazi, directing plays stint at Doordarshan where she produced the inaugural program of Bombay Doordarshan- she has produced memorable films like Sparsh, Chasme Buddoor, Katha, Disha, Saaz. She is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi awards. A very readabe boof of a very colurful and talented artiste
May 28, 2021
I'd recommend this memoir to those with an interest in film studies, scriptwriting, and generally show business. Sai takes you behind the scenes, and her writing surpasses our idea of what it means to share lived experiences that are kept away from the limelight. Our only other source of this is the media and this book is a delightful subversion.
A Patchwork Quilt is Sai Paranjpye's brainchild, consisting of her life's work with brief, yet heartfelt personal disclosure.
A Patchwork Quilt is Sai Paranjpye's brainchild, consisting of her life's work with brief, yet heartfelt personal disclosure.
April 7, 2024
An Engaging Book
A Patchwork Quilt is very engaging account of Sai Paranjpye's colorful life. It is recounted with candidates and humor. I especially enjoyed the chapters on her trips abroad and the makings of her films Sparsh, Consume Buddies and Katha. Her early forays into television is quite interesting. The author devotes a lot of chapters to her plays and that became a little tedious since I haven't seen any of her plays. Overall a very readable book.
A Patchwork Quilt is very engaging account of Sai Paranjpye's colorful life. It is recounted with candidates and humor. I especially enjoyed the chapters on her trips abroad and the makings of her films Sparsh, Consume Buddies and Katha. Her early forays into television is quite interesting. The author devotes a lot of chapters to her plays and that became a little tedious since I haven't seen any of her plays. Overall a very readable book.
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August 13, 2021Left behind my copy in India :(. Hope to find a replacement and start where I left off again.
March 16, 2022
Brought a lot of nice memories, watching all the cult movies and the thought process that went behind those movies. Very well written and great dissection of of all great movies
July 20, 2021
I bought this on a whim after watching Chashme Buddoor and am so glad. Reading about Sai's life makes me feel like there is so much to do, think & explore in my own when it feels a bit halted. While the parts describing her movie plots were a bit long, her experiences shooting them & processes are extremely fun esp. for Katha, the chapter I decided to read only after watching it. Recommend it for anyone into late 70's-early 80's cinema and looking for something true, fun/outcast yet relatable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews