Manav Kaul

Manav Kaul spent his early childhood in Jammu & Kashmir before his family relocated to Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh due to regional displacement. Growing up with tight financial constraints, Kaul excelled in competitive sports and became a champion national-level swimmer. Despite receiving lucrative government job offers through his sports achievements, he chose to walk away from a standard career path to chase a growing passion for experimental theatre and storytelling.

Kaul moved to Mumbai in the late 1990s and immersed himself in the local stage community. In 2004, seeking total creative freedom, he founded his own theatre company, Aranya. He quickly established a reputation as a visionary playwright and director. His minimalist script Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi earned him the prestigious META Award for Best Script in 2006. Over the years, his thought-provoking plays like Ilham, Park, and Traasadi transformed Aranya into a premier destination for original, character-driven Indian theatre. 

Kaul's screen journey officially began with a small appearance on the television show CID (1998), followed by the fantasy film Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003). However, dissatisfied with the formulaic types of roles being offered, he made the rare decision to step away from screen acting for nearly 13 years to avoid compromising his artistic values. [1, 2]

During this period, writing became his primary vehicle for self-expression. Writing softly, candidly, and philosophically about loneliness, travel, and relationships, he emerged as a celebrated modern voice in Hindi literature. His published collections, such as Theek Tumhare Peeche (2016) and Prem Kabootar (2017), became massive critical successes. His novel Antima (2020) and travelogue Rooh (2022) were subsequently translated into English to reach global audiences.

In 2013, director Abhishek Kapoor brought Kaul back to the screen as the menacing antagonist in Kai Po Che!, a performance that revitalised his acting career. He quickly became a fixture in Hindi cinema, starring in major hits like Wazir (2016), Jolly LLB 2 (2017), and Tumhari Sulu (2017)—the latter earning him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 

With the rise of digital streaming, Kaul transitioned seamlessly into complex streaming roles. He gained immense praise for his layered roles in Netflix’s horror miniseries Ghoul (2018), the romance anthology Ajeeb Daastaans (2021), and the thriller drama Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper (2024).