# Manav Kaul

Manav Kaul (born 19 December 1976) is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the films Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Saina (2021).

## Early life

Kaul was born on 19 December 1976 in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India, into a Kashmiri Pandit family. His family later moved to Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, where he was raised.
He was a competitive swimmer in his late teenage years and participated in state and national levels championships. He has won 14 national medals in swimming.

## Career
### Theatre

Kaul started a theatre group named Aranya in 2004. His influences include Charles Bukowski, Vinod Kumar Shukla and Nirmal Verma, to whom he paid homage in his 2010 play Red Sparrow.
He has written and directed 13 plays. Among his notable plays are Ilhaam, Park and Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane (transl. Five grains of sugar), the last one being his first work as playwright and director.
In 2004, Kaul staged Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, a dramatic monologue in Hindi about a small-towner whose "structured middle-India existence begins to feel suspiciously like a lie." It featured actor Kumud Mishra, who was to become his longtime collaborator. The Mumbai Theatre Guide wrote, "the final poetic denouement is neat, funny, reflective but unfortunately all too expected, all too perfect." The play was a stage hit and was performed in English in 2009, from a translation by Arshia Sattar.
In his next play, Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi Kaul explored a father-son relationship in an open-ended narrative, and adopted a style of poetic dialogue similar to that employed by Vinod Kumar Shukla and Nirmal Verma. It won him a Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Award (META) for Best Script in 2006.
In 2006, moving away from internal monologues, Kaul staged a bitter-sweet meditation on old age called Bali aur Shambhu, featuring Sudhir Pandey and Mishra. The Times of India found it "not as philosophical as Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, yet, it's a story that tugs at your heartstrings and has its moments," while the Mumbai Theatre Guide described it as "one of those plays that appeal to the senses but not to the intellect." Said Kaul, "I wrote the play after I visited an old-age home. I wanted to show that people in old-age homes also have fun."
In 2009, Kaul directed Ranga Shankara's Hindi adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's Huis Clos, with The Hindu describing his "treatment of non-verbal, physical expression" as impressive.
Set in 1994, Chuhal, written by Kaul talks about in love, relationships and marriages set in pre-technology times, and has toured in Zee Theater in Mumbai and Delhi, by Theatrenama in Bangalore, and more than one in Hyderabad, once at Ravindra Bharathi and another time at Rangbhoomi Spaces by KissaGo Theatre Group.

### Cinema

In 2012, Kaul debuted as a film director with Hansa for which he also wrote the screenplay. He made his acting debut in Hindi cinema with fantasy film Jajantaram Mamantaram in 2003, and has been lauded for his performance as a right-wing politician in the Gujarat-based Hindi drama Kai Po Che! in 2013.

### Writing

Kaul is a writer who writes on themes of isolation, nostalgia, rootlessness and existentialism etc. Some of his notable books include Chalta Phirta Pret, Antima, Bahut Door Kitna Door Hota hai, Theek Tumhare Peeche. Kaul's recently published novel Rooh explores his journey back to his lost motherland, Kashmir.

## Filmography

All films and shows in Hindi unless otherwise stated.
Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |

### Film actor

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Jajantaram Mamantaram | Jeran | Debut film |
| 2004 | Saatchya Aat Gharat | Venky | Marathi film |
| 2006 | Continuum | Security guard | Short film |
| 2007 | 1971 | Flight Lt. Ram | |
| 2010 | Daayen Ya Baayen | Sundar | |
| 2010 | I Am | Manav | Anthology film. Segment – Afia |
| 2013 | Kai Po Che! | Bishakh "Bittu" Joshi | |
| 2014 | CityLights | Vishnu | Nominated - Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male), 2015 |
| 2016 | Wazir | Yazaad Qureshi | Nominated -Zee Cine Awards, Best Actor in a Negative Role, 2017 |
| 2016 | Jai Gangaajal | MLA Babloo Pandey | |
| 2016 | Maroon | Saurabh Sharma | |
| 2016 | A Scandall | Manav | |
| 2017 | Jolly LLB 2 | Iqbal Qasim | |
| 2017 | Tumhari Sulu | Ashok Dubey | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2017 |
| 2018 | Dobaara | Mohan | Short film by Bejoy Nambiar |
| 2018 | Kashmir | Unnamed | Short film by Terribly Tiny Tales |
| 2019 | Music Teacher | Beni Madhav Singh | Netflix film |
| 2019 | Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai? | Albert Pinto | |
| 2019 | Badla | Jimmy Punjabi | |
| 2020 | Thappad | Rohit Jaisingh | |
| 2021 | Nail Polish | Veer Singh, ‘Ranjit’, ‘Charu Raina’ | Zee5 film |
| 2021 | 12 'O' Clock | Francis D'Souza | |
| 2021 | Madam Chief Minister | Danish Khan | |
| 2021 | Saina | Coach Sarvadhaman Rajan | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2022 |
| 2021 | Ajeeb Daastaans | Kabir | Netflix anthology film. Segment - Ankahi. Nominated - Filmfare OTT Awards, Best Actor: Web Original Film, 2021 |
| 2021 | Dybbuk | Markus | Amazon Prime Video film |
| 2022 | Jalsa | Anand | Amazon Prime Video film |
| 2022 | Phir Kabhi | Husband | Short film by Nihit Bhave |
| 2023 | Chaar Chappalein | Rajat | Short film |
| 2023 | Trial Period | Prajapati Dwivedi, "PD" | JioCinema film |

### Film director

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2012 | Hansa | Film directorial debut |
| 2021 | Tathagat | Streaming on MUBI India |

## Television

| Year | Serial | Role | Channel | Notes |
| | Banegi Apni Baat | | Zee TV | |
| 1998, 1999 | Mujhe Chaand Chahiye | Mohan | Zee TV | |
| 1998 | X Zone | Ajit | Zee TV | Episode 81 |
| 2000 | CID | Neeraj | Sony TV | Season 1, Episode 115, 116 (The Case of the Missing Man: Part 1 and 2) |
| 2000 | CID | Vikrant's brother | Sony TV | Season 1, Episode 141 (The Case Of Silent Witness: Part 1) |
| 2000–2001 | Sukanya | | B4U | |
| 2001 | Aahat | Jeetu | Sony TV | Season 1, Episode 284 and 285 (Nightmare Disco) |
| 2002 | Son Pari | Jeran | Star Plus | Episode 117 |
| 2002 | Bhabhi | Rakesh Chopra | Star Plus | Episode 440 |
| 2003 | CID | Kantora | Sony TV | Season 3, Episode 253, 254 (The Case Of The Tempting Diamond: Part 1 and 2) |
| 2005 | CID Special Bureau | Yashwant | Sony TV | Episode 7, 8 (Poisonous Panther) |
| 2005 | Raat Hone Ko Hai | Siddharth Pratap Singh | Sahara One | Story 45: Episode 177 - 180 (Shaadi) |
| 2006 | CID | Suraj | Sony TV | Season 5, Episode 416 (Red Rose Killer) |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Service | Notes |
| 2017 | A.I.SHA: My Virtual Girlfriend | Prof Kishore Saraswat | Arré | Season 2 |
| 2018 | Ghoul | Colonel Sunil Dacunha | Netflix | Mini series |
| 2019 | The Verdict - State vs Nanavati | Kawas Nanavati | ZEE5 | |
| 2020 | Gormint † | | Amazon Prime Video | Unreleased |
| 2022 | The Fame Game | Manish Khanna | Netflix | |
| 2024 | Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper | Tribhuvan Mishra | Netflix | |

## Awards and nominations
### Theatre

* Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Award for Best Script, 2006.
* Hindustan Times Mumbai's Most Stylish Theatre Personality Award, 2017.

### Cinema
#### Filmfare Awards

| Year | Film | Category | Result | Ref |
| 2017 | Tumhari Sulu | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Saina | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |

#### Filmfare Short Film Awards

| Year | Film | Category | Result | Ref |
| 2023 | Phir Kabhi | Best Actor Male | Won | |

#### Filmfare OTT Awards

| Year | Category | Film | Result | Ref |
| 2021 | Best Actor: Web Original Film | Ajeeb Daastaans | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Best Actor in a Short Film | Phir Kabhi | Won | |

#### Screen Awards

| Year | Category | Film | Result | Ref |
| 2015 | Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male) | CityLights | Nominated | |

#### Zee Cine Awards

| Year | Category | Film | Result | Ref |
| 2017 | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Wazir | Nominated | |