Mahesh Manjrekar (born 15 August, 1958 in Mumbai) is an Indian director, actor, writer and producer. He is credited with directing the critically acclaimed films Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Astitva (2000) and Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005). He has won a National Film Award and two Star Screen Awards. Besides direction, he has acted in several films including some of his own productions. He first gained acclaim as an actor for his performance in the 2002 film Kaante, and later played negative roles in the Telugu film Okkadunnadu (2007) and as the gangster Javed in the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). He played the role of 'Shivaji Maharaj' in Marathi movie Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy. He also played the role of Harpist Dongara in the "Aakhri Chunauti" series of episodes in CID.