Rahul Bhat

Last updated

Rahul Bhat
Rahul Bhat 1.jpg
Bhat in 2020
Born
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
OccupationActor
Years active1998-2003; 2013–present

Rahul Bhat is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model and participated in the Graviera Mr. India contest in 1998, and subsequently worked in several advertisements and music videos. He gained fame for his leading role in the television serial Heena from 1998 to 2003. After starring in the films Yeh Mohabbat Hai (2002) and Nayee Padosan (2003), he took a sabbatical from acting and began producing television serials, including Meri Doli Tere Angana (2007–2008) and Tum Dena Saath Mera (2009).

Contents

Bhat made his acting comeback with a leading role in Anurag Kashyap's thriller film Ugly (2013), for which he received critical acclaim. [1] He has since appeared in Fitoor (2016), Daas Dev (2018), Section 375 (2019), and Kashyap’s Dobaaraa (2022), and Kennedy (2023). In 2025, he starred in the Netflix thriller series Black Warrant .

Life and career

Early life and work

Bhat was born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India into a Kashmiri Pandit family. [2] [3]

Bhat began his career as a fashion model. In 1998, he participated in the Graviera Mr. India contest, where he won the Mr Photogenic award. [4] [5] He did advertisements for Pond's and Breeze detergent, [6] and appeared in music videos like "Soni Lag Gayee" with Pakistani singer Sajjad Ali, and "Punjabi Munda" for Tips Industries. [4] He gained popularity for his role opposite Simone Singh in Heena , a top-rated soap opera on Sony Entertainment Television, which aired for five years from 1998 to 2003. [7] [8] [9]

Bhat had his first film role in the romantic drama Yeh Mohabbat Hai in 2002, directed by Umesh Mehra. [10] The film was not well received, but Priyanka Bhattacharya of Rediff.com found him “sincere” and Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama opined that he had made a “decent debut”. [11] [12] The following year, he starred in the comedy Nayee Padosan , in which he played dual roles of a Tamil man and a don. [13]

Disillusioned with the kind of roles he was being offered, Bhat took a sabbatical from acting. [14] He instead began his own production company Filmtonic Entertainment, under which he produced television soap operas such as Meri Doli Tere Angana (2007–2008), Chhukar Mere Man Ko (2007), and Tum Dena Saath Mera (2009). [1] [15] He has said about this period, "I quit acting because I was angry. I did not want to do B and C grade projects. I wanted to work on good scripts and with committed filmmakers. But nothing came my way and that made me unhappy." [1]

Return to acting

Bhat at the premiere of Ugly at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Rahul Bhat at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 for his film "Ugly" (cropped).jpg
Bhat at the premiere of Ugly at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival

The filmmaker Anurag Kashyap approached Bhat to play the part of a struggling actor whose daughter is kidnapped in his thriller film Ugly (2013). [17] To prepare for his role, Bhat started consuming alcohol heavily and deprived himself of sleep to create dark circles around his character's face. [18] For a sequence, where Bhat had to cry, Kashyap kept talking to him for three hours and he eventually broke down and wept. The camera kept rolling during that period. [19] Ugly premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it received standing ovation. [20] [21] It was also screened at the New York Indian Film Festival and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. [22] [23] [24] Arunava Chatterjee of India Today called Ugly a "pathbreaking crime fiction" and found Bhat to be “outstanding” in it. [25] Brian Clark of Screen Anarchy added that Bhat "does especially impressive work transitioning his character through some demanding plot twists and power shifts". [26]

Three years later in 2016, Bhat played a role opposite Katrina Kaif in the romantic drama Fitoor and alongside Priyanka Chopra in the crime film Jai Gangaajal . [3] [27] In a review for the latter film, Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India wrote that even in a small role, he had played his character's "radicalism with aplomb". [28]

The following year, Bhat had a leading role in Union Leader , an Indian-Canadian drama about a chemical factory supervisor who raises the issue of worker's health and safety against an unsympathetic management. [3] [29] Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote that Bhat had brought an "X factor to his performance" which exceeded the screenplay's limitations. [30]

Bhat starred in Sudhir Mishra’s romantic drama Daas Dev (2018), a retelling of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Devdas set in the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh, in which he played the lead role opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Richa Chaddha. [31] In 2019, he appeared alongside Chaddha and Akshaye Khanna in the courtroom drama Section 375 . He played a Bollywood director accused of rape. Rajeev Masand wrote that he “does well as the arrogant director”. [32]

In 2021, Bhat starred in Man Naked, an experimental single-shot short film. [33] Bhat reunited with Anurag Kashyap in 2022, in Dobaaraa , a remake of the Spanish mystery film Mirage , starring Taapsee Pannu. [34] Anupama Chopra found Bhat's to be the "most notable character" in the film and added that his "frayed good looks and exhausted manner infuse a much-needed comic edge into the film". [35] He collaborated once again with Kashyap in the crime film Kennedy , which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. [36]

Bhat starred in Netflix thriller series Black Warrant in 2025, playing DSP Rajesh Tomar, a senior jailer at Tihar jail. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express termed it his most "worthy role" since Ugly. [37] Scroll.in's Nandini Ramnath wrote that he "superbly portrays Tomar’s concentrated perversion". [38]

Filmography

Bhat in 2014 Rahul bhat 2.jpg
Bhat in 2014
YearFilmRoleNotes
2002 Yeh Mohabbat Hai Chaand Nawaab
2003 Nayee Padosan Prabhu
2013 Ugly Rahul Kapoor
2016 Fitoor Bilal
2016 Jai Gangaajal Pawan
2017 Union Leader Jay Gohil
2018 Daas Dev Devdas
2019 Section 375 Rohan Khurana
2021Man NakedRonnieShort film
2022 Dobaaraa Vikas Awasthi
2023 Kennedy Kennedy

Television

YearShowRoleNotes
1997 Jai Hanuman Sujuti
1998-2003 Heena Sameer
2002 Draupadi Krishna
2007–2008 Meri Doli Tere Angana  –Producer
2007Chhukar Mere Man Ko –Producer
2009 Tum Dena Saath Mera  –Producer
2025 Black Warrant DSP Rajesh TomarStreaming series

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Johar</span> Indian filmmaker (born 1972)

Karan Yash Johar, often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful actors and filmmakers under his company Dharma Productions. The recipient of several accolades, including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards, he has been honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikramaditya Motwane</span> Indian film director and producer

Vikramaditya Motwane is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for films like Udaan (2010), Lootera (2013), Trapped (2017), and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anurag Kashyap</span> Indian film director and screenwriter (born 1972)

Anurag Kashyap is an Indian film director and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aditya Roy Kapur</span> Indian actor (born 1985)

Aditya Roy Kapur is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. After working as a VJ, he made his acting debut with the musical drama London Dreams (2009). Kapur had his first commercial success with the romance Aashiqui 2 (2013). In the same year, the romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani emerged as his highest-grossing release, and won him the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor in addition to a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<i>Nayee Padosan</i> 2003 Indian film

Nayee Padosan is a 2003 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by cinematographer B. H. Tharun Kumar in his debut and produced by Nitin Manmohan, starring Mahek Chahal, Vikas Kalantri, Anuj Sawhney and Aslam Khan in the lead roles. The film is partially inspired by the Tamil films Indru Poi Naalai Vaa and Chashme Buddoor, and was a moderate success at the box office. The film was also the Bollywood debut of Mahek Chahal.

<i>Daas Dev</i> 2018 film directed by Sudhir Mishra

Daas Dev is an Indian Hindi-language romantic political thriller directed by Sudhir Mishra and story concept by Zuhaebb. The film stars Rahul Bhat as Dev Pratap Chauhan, Richa Chadda as Paro, Aditi Rao Hydari as Chandni, and Saurabh Shukla, Vineet Kumar Singh and Dalip Tahil in supporting roles along with Anil George, Deepraj Rana with Anurag Kashyap in a guest appearance. The film was released on 27 April 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulshan Devaiah</span> Indian actor (born 1978)

Gulshan Devaiah is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Hindi films. He is known for his roles in Shaitan, Hate Story and Hunterrr. His performance in Shaitan was critically praised and earned him a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

<i>Gangs of Wasseypur</i> 2012 Indian two-part crime film

Gangs of Wasseypur is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language two-part epic black comedy crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. Centered on the coal mafia of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families, the film has an ensemble cast, with Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadda, Jaideep Ahlawat, Huma Qureshi and Tigmanshu Dhulia in the major roles. Its story spans 68 years from 1941 to 2009.

<i>Ugly</i> (film) 2013 film by Anurag Kashyap

Ugly is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap. Jointly produced by Phantom Films and DAR Motion Pictures, the film stars Rahul Bhat, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vineet Kumar Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Surveen Chawla and Anshika Shrivastava in the lead roles. It also features TV actor Abir Goswami in his last film appearance before his death in 2013. Told in the course of a week, Ugly follows the story of a struggling actor Rahul Varshney (Bhat), whose daughter Kali (Shrivastava) disappears, and the events that follow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Studios</span> Indian film production and distribution company

Phantom Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Madhu Mantena, Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, and Vikramaditya Motwane. It was founded in 2011 by all four of them, and was cited as the "directors' company". In March 2015, Reliance Entertainment picked up 50% stake in the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vineet Kumar Singh</span> Indian actor

Vineet Kumar Singh is an Indian actor and writer known for his strong portrayal of an aspiring boxer Shravan Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz (2018). An M.D. in Ayurveda from Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, Vineet began his acting career at the age of 21 with the movie Pitaah (2002). After few series of performances in his early career including the 2010 film City of Gold, he got noticed for his role in films like Bombay Talkies and Gangs of Wasseypur. His role in Ugly and the portrayal of the character Milan Shukla in the film Daas Dev won him appreciation. He made his debut as lead actor in the 2018 Anurag Kashyap film Mukkabaaz for which he won two awards.

<i>Fitoor</i> 2016 film by Abhishek Kapoor

Fitoor is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, and written by Kapoor and Supratik Sen based on Charles Dickens' 1861 novel Great Expectations. The film features Tabu, Katrina Kaif, and Aditya Roy Kapur in lead roles. Filming began in Kashmir in November 2014 and concluded in October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikas Bahl</span> Indian filmmaker

Vikas Bahl is an Indian filmmaker, best known for directing Chillar Party (2011), Queen (2013), Super 30 (2019), and Shaitaan (2024).

Meraj Shaikh is an Indian film producer and Line Producer and the founder of Wingman Pictures, He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anurag Kashyap filmography</span>

Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor, known for his work in Hindi cinema. After writing a television series Kabhie Kabhie (1997), Kashyap co-wrote Ram Gopal Varma's crime drama Satya (1998). He later wrote and directed a short television film, Last Train to Mahakali (1999), and made his feature film debut with the yet-unreleased film Paanch. He next directed Black Friday (2007), a film on the 1993 Bombay bombings. Its release was barred by India's Censor Board for two years, but was eventually released in 2007 to positive reviews. The same year, he directed the critical and commercial failure No Smoking. Return of Hanuman (2007), an animated film, was Kashyap's next directorial venture. In 2009, he directed Dev.D, a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Bengali novel Devdas, along with the political drama Gulaal. Despite positive reviews, the latter was a box-office failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neeraj Ghaywan</span> Indian director

Neeraj Ghaywan is an Indian film director and writer who works in Hindi films. He is the winner of several accolades including a National film Award and two Filmfare Awards.

<i>Mukkabaaz</i> 2017 film

Mukkabaaz, released internationally as The Brawler, is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film co-written, co-produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap. Jointly produced by Aanand L. Rai's Colour Yellow Productions and Phantom Films, the film stars Vineet Kumar Singh, debutant Zoya Hussain, Ravi Kishan and Jimmy Shergill in the lead roles. It follows Shravan Kumar (Singh), an aspiring boxer, who falls in love with the niece of the boxing federation head, Bhagwan Das Mishra (Shergill). Kashyap, Singh, Mukti Singh Srinet, K.D.Satyam, Ranjan Chandel and Prasoon Mishra wrote the script.

<i>Dobaaraa</i> 2022 Indian Sci-fi film

Dobaaraa, also stylized as 2:12, is a Hindi-language science-fiction mystery thriller film directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film stars Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati and Rahul Bhat.

Vasan Bala is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Hindi cinema. He wrote the scripts for the period crime drama Bombay Velvet (2015) and the psychological thriller Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016). Bala made his directorial debut with the crime thriller Peddlers in 2012, which earned him a nomination for the Golden Camera Award at Cannes. He's also worked as an assistant director on films like Dev.D (2009), Gulaal (2009), and Trishna (2011). As a dialogue writer, he's contributed to The Lunchbox (2013) and Rukh (2017). In 2019, he released the film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. His latest directorial was Dharma Productions' Jigra (2024), starring Alia Bhatt.

<i>Kennedy</i> (film) 2023 Indian film

Kennedy is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Anurag Kashyap. It stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in the lead roles. The film marks the third collaboration of Kashyap and Bhat after Ugly (2013) and Dobaaraa (2022).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fernandes, Bradley (10 March 2015). "I'm not cut out for chamchagiri". Filmfare. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Runway star hits stardust". Hindustan Times. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Sinha, Seema (26 April 2018). "Rahul Bhat on Daas Dev: Can't portray Devdas the way Dilip Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan did". Firstpost. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 Seth, Sheetal (14 December 2001). "'I want to be where Amitabh Bachchan is'". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Love in times of violence". The Tribune. 8 February 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "No ifs for this Bhatt". The Times of India. 19 March 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Sharma, Suruchi (11 November 2010). "No goodbye to acting: Rahul Bhatt". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Das, Anirban (14 February 2015). "No time for TV: Rahul Bhat". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  9. ↑ Misra, Iti Shree (11 September 2014). "Rahul Bhatt: Now the film industry is not just a few people's playground". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "The new improved Rahul Bhatt". The Times of India. 5 October 2001. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Bhattacharya, Priyanka (8 February 2002). "Love's labour lost". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Adarsh, Taran (7 February 2002). "Yeh Mohabbat Hai Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Chakravorty, Vinayak (7 June 2003). "Nayee Padosan". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  14. ↑ Unnikrishnan, Chhaya (19 December 2014). "I quit acting in anger: Rahul Bhat". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  15. ↑ Poojary, Sapna (21 November 2013). "Rahul back in limelight". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  16. ↑ PTI (24 May 2013). "Kashmiri actor Rahul Bhat proud to walk Cannes red carpet". Mid-Day . Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  17. ↑ Ghosh, Sankhayan (2 January 2015). "Anurag Kashyap says he is bored with his own ideas". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  18. ↑ "I became harsh on myself to prepare for 'Ugly': Rahul Bhat". The Indian Express. 25 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  19. ↑ Upadhyay, Karishma (26 December 2014). "Ugly truth of Anurag". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "Ugly receives a standing ovation at Cannes". Filmfare . 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  21. ↑ Baker, Steven (30 May 2014). "Anurag Kashyap's Ugly wins critical acclaim in Cannes". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "My personal life is nobody's business: Anurag Kashyap". Deccan Chronicle . 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  23. ↑ "Anurag Kashyap's 'Ugly' to open New York Indian film festival". Daily News and Analysis. 1 April 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  24. ↑ "Ugly". Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  25. ↑ Chatterjee, Arunava (26 December 2014). "Ugly review: It is a pathbreaking crime fiction". India Today. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  26. ↑ Clark, Brian (17 May 2013). "Cannes 2013 Review: Anurag Kashyap's UGLY Is a Riveting Thriller About Awful Things". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  27. ↑ Rahul Bhat to star opposite Katrina Kaif in 'Fitoor'. India Today. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Jai Gangaajal Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  29. ↑ Bird, Cullen (8 September 2017). "Local filmmaker releasing Hindi-language feature film". Fort McMurray Today . Archived from the original on 9 September 2017.
  30. ↑ Vetticad, Anna MM (19 January 2018). "Union Leader movie review: Rahul Bhat, Tillotama Shome's film is simplistic but heartfelt". Firstpost . Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  31. ↑ Sinha, Seema (25 April 2018). "Daas Dev is a political story with Shakespearean treatment and strong romantic base, says Sudhir Mishra". Firstpost . Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  32. ↑ Rajeev, Rajeev (14 September 2019). "Section 375 Movie Review: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha's Performances Make for Compelling Courtroom Drama". News18. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  33. ↑ "Rahul Bhat to play 40-year-old in Sanjeev Kaul's 'Man Naked'". The New Indian Express. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  34. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (18 August 2022). "'Dobaaraa' movie review: Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee double the adrenaline". The Hindu . Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  35. ↑ Chopra, Anupama. Dobaaraa Movie Review. Film Companion. 3.06 minutes in. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  36. ↑ "76th Cannes Film Festival: Actor Rahul Bhat on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy, and working with Sunny Leone". Money Control. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  37. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (10 January 2025). "Black Warrant review: Insider account of Tihar Jail is gritty, as real as possible". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  38. ↑ Ramnath, Nandini (10 January 2025). "'Black Warrant' review: Grim show about Tihar jailers rarely lets up". Scroll.in . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.