Sarika was born in New Delhi into a family of Marathi and Rajput descent.[2] Her father abandoned the family when she was very young. From then on, she became the breadwinner of the family. As she had to work for a living, she did not attend school.[3]
Career
Sarika in 2005
Sarika started her film career as a child actor at the age of 5,[4] playing the role of a boy, Master Sooraj, during the 1960s in Hindi language films. Her most notable and popular appearance as a child artist was in the year 1967 in the musical superhit Hamraaz, where she was seen as the daughter of Vimi named baby Saarika. She appeared in many children's movies. Later, she moved on to films with Rajshri ProductionsGeet Gaata Chal with Sachin, with whom she starred in many Hindi and Marathi films.[citation needed]
Her performance in Parzania in which she plays the role of a Zoroastrian woman who loses her child during the 2002 riots of India, earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress. Khalid Mohamed wrote for Hindustan Times of her performance, "Sarika is marvelously restrained and lifelike, making you care for Parzania straight from the heart."[5]
Sarika has starred as Sheetal Thadani in the movie Bheja Fry (2006), where she played the wife of Rajat Kapoor. She also had a small but important role in Manorama Six Feet Under. Her latest movie is Shoebite, which has been delayed for production, where she stars opposite Amitabh Bachchan.
Sarika and actor Kamal Haasan began living together in 1988, marrying after the birth of their first child, Shruti (born 1986).[6] Shruti is a singer and a Tollywood-Kollywood actress. Their younger daughter, Akshara (born 1991) is an assistant director and actress. Sarika stopped acting soon after their marriage, Sarika worked as Haasan's costume designer for the movie Hey Ram and won the National Film Award for Best Costume Designer.[7] In 2002, the couple filed for divorce, which was granted in 2004.[8]
