Sai is from the Sanskrit sāī (साईं — saint, master) and modern Marathi feminine usage. A modern American baby name in the broader Sanskrit-Marathi heritage aesthetic. Sai in Indian tradition evokes the iconic Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838-1918) — the foundational Indian spiritual master revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees, central to modern Indian Sai Baba devotional tradition. Sai Tamhankar (born 1986) is a foundational contemporary Marathi and Bollywood actress with over 20 leading roles across Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil cinema since 2008. Films include the iconic No Entry Pudhe Dhoka Aahey (2012), Duniyadari (2013) — one of the highest-grossing Marathi films at the time of release, Classmates (2015), Hampi (2017), Girlfriend (2019), Mimi (2021) Netflix India opposite Kriti Sanon — earning her Filmfare OTT Best Supporting Actress (Hindi) — and the foundational Pondicherry (2022) — the first Indian feature filmed entirely on smartphones. Multiple Filmfare Marathi and Maharashtra State Film Awards wins. Over 1 million Instagram followers.
Featured throughout Marathi cinema and Hindu heritage.
Sai reduces to one.