Vedang Raina | |
|---|---|
 Raina in 2024 | |
| Born | 2 June 2000 New Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | SVKM's NMIMS |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2023–present |
Vedang Raina (born 2 June 2000) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut as Reggie Mantle in Zoya Akhtar's musical teen film The Archies (2023), and has since starred in the action thriller Jigra (2024). He has also sung four of his film songs.
Vedang Raina was born on 2 June 2000 in New Delhi into a Kashmiri family and grew up in Mumbai. [1] He completed his schooling from Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu and subsequently pursued his bachelor's degree from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (SVKM's NMIMS) in Vile Parle. [2] He started out small with college fests and events, enjoying the time he spent on stage. [3] Raina developed an interest in music and played the guitar years before he had thought about acting. Towards the end of his college years, he decided to venture into modelling and music. [4] He subsequently joined an acting agency to pursue it as a career. [5]
After modelling for several brands, Raina was scouted by Zoya Akhtar for The Archies in 2021. [6] [7] Raina claimed that he had not thought about acting until that point. [8] He was officially announced to be playing the role of Reggie Mantle in May 2022. [9] [10] It was released on Netflix in 2023. Udita Jhunjhunwala of Scroll.in wrote that he "brings the right amount of swag to the rakish Reggie". [11]
Raina starred alongside Alia Bhatt in Vasan Bala's action thriller Jigra (2024), in which he played the younger brother of Bhatt's character, who is imprisoned in South East Asia. [12] WION's Kriti Tulsiani thought that Raina made the most of his minimal screen time but was ultimately overshadowed by Bhatt. However, she praised the chemistry between the two. [13] It emerged as a box-office bomb. [14]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Archies | Reggie Mantle | |
| 2024 | Jigra | Ankur Anand |
| Year | Song | Album | Composer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Everything Is Politics" | The Archies | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Aditi "Dot" Saigal | [15] |
| 2024 | "Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka" | Jigra | R. D. Burman, Achint Thakkar | [16] |
| "Jigra Title Track" | Achint Thakkar | [17] | ||
| "Jigra (Acoustic Version)" | [18] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Debut in a Film (Male) | The Archies | Won | [19] |
The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series The Archie Show. In the context of the series, the band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, bassist Reggie Mantle, percussionist/vocalist Betty Cooper and keyboardist/vocalist Veronica Lodge.
Jamnabai Narsee School is a private school in the affluent area of Juhu, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded on 17 January 1971 and is managed by the Narsee Monjee Education Trust. The school building is a unique marvel in architecture with three clusters of hexagonal classrooms, each with a hexagonal central foyer. The school is attended by children mostly from Andheri and Juhu, and its alumni include several famous dignitaries, celebrities and their children.
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Despite those exciting plot points, Raina insists he lives a "really regular, simple life in Mumbai," where his Kashmiri family moved from Delhi when he was a kid.
