Vicky Kaushal
Vicky Kaushal is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a National Film Award and two Film fare Awards, and has appeared in Forbes India‘s Celebrity 100 list of 2019.
After graduating with an engineering degree from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kaushal began his career by assisting Anurag Kashyap in the 2012 crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur and played minor roles in films. His first leading role was in the 2015 independent drama Masaan, following which he starred in Kashyap’s psychological thriller Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016).
Kaushal gained wider recognition in 2018 with supporting roles in the top-grossing dramas Raazi and Sanju, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter. A starring role as a military officer in the 2019 war film Uri: The Surgical Strike established Kaushal as a leading actor and won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. He earned further acclaim for his portrayal of Udham Singh in the biopic Sardar Udham (2021), winning the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, and had a commercial success in the romantic comedy Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023).
Early life and background
Vicky Kaushal was born on 16 May 1988 in a suburban chawl in Mumbai to Sham Kaushal, an action director in Indian films, and Veena Kaushal, a homemaker. His younger brother, Sunny, is also an actor. His family is Punjabi Hindu who hail originally from Hoshiarpur. Kaushal has described himself as a “regular kid who was interested in studying, playing cricket and watching movies”. His father was keen on his son having a stable career away from show-business and thus, he graduated with an engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from Mumbai’s Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology in 2009.
During an industrial visit to an IT company in his graduation year, he realised that he had no real interest in an office job and began aspiring to have a career in film. He studied acting at Kishore Namit Kapoor’s academy while simultaneously participating in theatre with Manav Kaul’s Aranya group and Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley Productions; doing everything from backstage and announcements to stand-ins. Kaushal would spend the next two years going for various kinds of auditions, but did not get any good opportunities.His first attempt at acting was in a theatrical production titled Laal Pencil in 2011.
In addition to his acting career, Kaushal endorses several brands and products, and has co-hosted and performed at award ceremonies. He is married to actress Katrina Kaif.