Girija Oak

Girija Oak Godbole ( Oak) is an Indian actress who appears in Marathi and Hindi cinema and is best known for her performances in Taare Zameen Par, Shor in the City (2010) and Jawan (2023).

Career Oak made her debut on the big screen at the age of 15. She acted in Marathi movies including Goshta Choti Dongraevadhi, Gulmohar, Manini and Adgule Madgule.

Her first Marathi television show as a lead actress was Zee Marathi's Lajja with Piyush Ranade, Tejaswini Pandit and Mukta Barve. She portrayed scandal victim Manaswini Desai (Manu). She has also played leading roles in Marathi plays.

In 2018, Oak made her short film debut with the film Quarter directed by Navjyot Bandiwadekar. The film was premiered at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in the Court Métrage (Short Film Corner) category and was later showcased at various International Film festivals. For her performance in the film, Oak won her first international award as Best Actress at the European Cinematography Awards 2018 and was nominated as Best International Actress at the Maverick Movie Awards 2018. Quarter was the first Indian short film to launch a poster and trailer at a public event attended by members of the Indian press and Indian film industry personalities. The film was digitally released worldwide on 10 April 2020.

Oak played the lead role in the second season of the Hindi serial Ladies Special on Sony Entertainment Television. She was a finalist in the popular singing contest Singing Star.

In the 2020s, Oak started working in films and web-series. In 2023, she starred in the films Jawan and The Vaccine War.

She starred in the web-series Perfect Family and 13th: Some Lessons Aren't Taught in Classrooms in 2025.

She next starred in Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, which released in June 2026. She stars alongside Kangana Ranaut, and Smita Tambe in the film.

Public image In 2026, Oak gained widespread attention on social media, where a video of her in a blue saree went viral, leading to her being called the "internet's latest crush" and "India's Sydney Sweeney". Oak, however, felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable, criticising internet users for circulating AI generated morphed images of her, which sexualized and objectified her, and sending her distasteful text messages, further advising them to consider the negative impact of the images.

Personal life Oak is the daughter of Marathi actor Girish Oak. She completed her degree in biotechnology from Thakur College of Science and Commerce Kandivali East, Mumbai. She joined a theatre workshop and started acting in advertisements.

Oak is married to Suhrud Godbole. She is the daughter-in-law of Marathi film actor, dialogue writer and film producer Shrirang Godbole.

Filmography Television Films